Sonic Adventure: The Arcadian Adventure
by Anthony Bault
Summary: HEROES OF ARCADIA A badly needed vacation for Sonic and Anthony is anything but when GUN starts causing trouble. Get ready for Sonic Adventure...Arcadia style!
1. Intro and Prolouge

Heroes of Arcadia  
Sonic Adventure - The Arcadian Adventure  
by Anthony Bault  
  
Legal:  
Mario, Link, and all related characters are (c) Nintendo  
Megaman and all related characters are (c) Capcom  
Sonic and all related characters are (c) Sega, DIC, and Archie Comics  
Tenchi and all related characters are (c) Pioneer and AIC  
Dragonball Z and all related characters are (c) Toei Animation and Akira Toriyama  
Sailor Moon and all related characters are (c) Toei Animation and DIC  
Digimon and all related characters are (c) Saban  
Spider-Man and all related characters are (c) Marvel  
  
The following characters are (c) their respective fanfic authors:  
Packbell is (c) David Pistone AKA Serinthia Draftwood  
Red Sonic is (c) Red Sonic  
Teila Fox and Tyreke are (c) Teila Fox  
Lazer and Rebecca Coriander are (c) LazerTH  
Lisa, Kyle, and Hogi-San are (c) Lisa Echidna  
Ryan "Bat" Perreault is (c) Ryan Perreault  
Aura and Ryndar are (c) Aura Starfire  
Gamemaster Anthony Bault, Gamemaster Jenna Larson, Gamemaster Lars Olson, and Alec Johnson are (c) Anthony Bault  
  
Fanfic characters used WITH permission! (Thanks guys!) This story is (c) Anthony Bault.  
  
Author's forward:  
  
A pure Sonic fic...Sonic Adventure style. (Don't let all those other characters in the first section throw you...they're only going to get a bit part near the beginning.) Because of my love of video games, I was pondering the idea of becoming a video game designer. As such...this fic will be a little different from my usual fare, but not much. It will read like many of my other fics, but at certain intervals, you may see something like this:  
  
STAGE: Area  
CHARACTERS: (SegaArchie character/SIFF character)  
MUSIC: Stage song  
OBJECTIVE: Objective  
  
This will do nothing more than add the flavor of the game to the story, the rest will read like a regular fic. Also...each stage will be split between one of the Sega-Archie characters (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Julie-Su, Mina) and one of the SIFFs (Red Sonic, Teila, Lazer, Anthony, Lisa, Bat, Aura). Basically, it's split like SA2...but using different characters. I was inspired to do this after reading Potato Salad's "Sonic Adventure II.V".  
  
And now...let's open up this strat guide I have for SA-TAA and see who the main characters are...  
  
Sega/Archie Heroes  
  
Sonic  
Full name: Maurice "Sonic" Hedgehog  
Species: Hedgehog  
Age: 17  
Theme: "It Doesn't Matter" (SA2 version)  
Profile: One of three triplets born to King Wallace Julian Hedgehog and Queen Aleena Bernadette Hedgehog in the kingdom of Mobara, and considered the greatest hero on the world of Mobius. He currently resides in the newly restored kingdom of Mobotropolis, living with his uncle Charles Hedgehog, so he can be close to his girlfriend, Princess Sally Acorn of Mobotropolis. Though he has a bit of an ego, he still has a sensitive side which comes out whenever he's with Sally or when dealing victims of the Robotnik war.  
  
Tails  
Full name: Miles "Tails" Prower  
Species: Kitsune fox  
Age: 12  
Theme: "Believe in Myself" (SA2 version)  
Profile: Son of Elrond and Sarah Prower, and descendant of Magi Reynard Prower, one of the original Companions of Arcadia. He is now the current Companion, and has regained Reynard's abilities and powers. He also has a strong aptitude for mechanics, even considered a bit of a prodigy. Despite all that he has been through with Robotnik, he still maintains a child's sense of fun.  
  
Knuckles  
Full name: Naki "Knuckles" Echidna  
Species: Echidna  
Age: 18  
Theme: "Unknown from M.E." (SA2 version)  
Profile: The current Guardian of Angel Island, charged with the protection of the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald. He is also the leader of a group called the Chaotix, formed to protect the Emeralds as well...though now their responsibility has expanded to the protection of the Mobius/Gardenia portal as well. He is very serious about his position, but has lightened up slightly since the current Gamemaster convinced him that he might lose friends as a result. Julie-Su has also helped lighten him up a bit...but in a different way...  
  
Amy  
Full name: Amy Thorn Rose  
Species: Hedgehog  
Age: 12  
Theme: "My Sweet Passion" (SA1 theme)  
Profile: Daughter of Mary Rose. She came into the ranks of the Freedom Fighters the same way Tails did...from being separated from her mother by Robotnik's attacks and then found by the Freedom Fighters. Also, like Tails, she was reunited with her family due to the Gamemaster's efforts. Since then, she has grown to love the Gamemaster like a father, and is now a member of the Larson Clan as a result of this bond. In fact...she has even managed to be able to use the Gamemaster's powers, and is now the Gamemaster's apprentice.  
  
Rouge  
Full name: Unknown  
Species: Bat  
Age: 19  
Theme: "Fly in the Freedom" (SA2 theme)  
Profile: She is a former government agent who was involved in trying to gather information about the Chaos Emeralds, which had caused her to get involved with the incident aboard the Colony ARK. Since then, she has settled down in Station Square, and is in charge of the city's security and investigations. Of course...she usually takes personal charge of some investigations...  
  
Julie-Su  
Full name: Julie-Su Echidna  
Species: Echidna  
Age: 18  
Theme: "Destination Unknown" (from Top Gun soundtrack)  
Profile: A former member of the Dark Legion, and still has the cybernetic parts to prove that connection. She quit the Legion after a chance encounter with Knuckles, and the two have become quite close. She has even been made a member of the Chaotix after proving herself to them.  
  
Mina  
Full name: Mina Diane Mongoose  
Species: Mongoose  
Age: 17  
Theme: "Hella Good" by No Doubt  
Profile: She was a member of the Freedom Fighters since her mother was roboticized, and has been reunited with her mother after Robotnik's final defeat. She currently resides in Station Square, where she lives with her current boyfriend, Red Sonic. She also has Sonic's speed...but as of yet cannot brake as well.  
  
SIFF Heroes  
  
Red Sonic  
Full name: Red Sonic  
Species: Hedgehog  
Age: Actual - 4, Physical - 17  
Theme: "Bullet" by Creed  
Profile: A clone of Sonic originally created by Robotnik as a way to combat the Freedom Fighters, but was a failure since he retained most of Sonic's mind, and thus became a Freedom Fighter as well. He eventually joined a Freedom Fighter group in Station Square, where he currently resides with his girlfriend, Mina. He has powers derived from exposure to the energy of a green Chaos Emerald.  
  
Teila Fox  
Full name: Teila Fox  
Species: Fox  
Age: 15  
Theme: "Believe in Myself" (SA1 version)  
Profile: A lot about her past is a muddle, but she remembers receiving powers from exposure to a yellow Chaos Emerald. These powers allow her to control the weather to some degree when she is angered, and her eyes change from blue to yellow as she is able to do so. Tails had a small crush on her a while back, and she currently lives in Tails's workshop in the Mystic Ruins. She also is in possession of a strange cyan colored Chaos Emerald that only she can hold.  
  
Lazer  
Full name: Lazer Hedgehog  
Species: Hedgehog  
Age: 19  
Theme: "In the End" by Linkin Park  
Profile: Once a resident of a town called Adrax in the country of Xadra, located on the continent of Neos. His town was destroyed by Robotnik, and he thought everyone but himself were lost, so he joined Sally's Freedom Fighters and later the Freedom Fighter group in Station Square to get revenge. He has since found Rebecca Coriander, another survivor of Adrax, and the two currently live together in Station Square. Lazer also has powers derived from five red Chaos Emeralds imbedded within himself...gifts from the Ancient Walkers.  
  
Gamemaster  
Full name: Anthony William Bault  
Species: Human - Earth  
Age: 26  
Theme: "The Game" by Drowning Pool (from WWF Forceable Entry CD)  
Profile: He is a descendant of Sir Eric of the Larson Clan, considered the greatest of the original Companions of Arcadia. Like Sir Eric, Anthony is skilled in swordplay and psionic ability, and he was key in the reunion of Arcadia and the final defeat of Robotnik. He also has a strong bond similar to family with Amy, even admitting he would have adopted Amy if he hadn't found Amy's mother alive and well. Sensitive as he is brave, he hates to see any innocents get hurt. He will also risk his own life to save others.  
  
Lisa Echidna  
Full name: Lisa Echidna  
Species: Echidna/Demon  
Age: 17  
Theme: "After the Fall" by October Project  
Profile: Her origins are strange...for she was created instead of born. A strange pendant was found with the essence of a sorceress named Elisbeth Echidna within it, and when energy was applied to it, Lisa was created. Although she has come to grips with her origin and has made a life for herself in Station Square, the recent appearance of a couple of dragon wings on her back has now brought new doubts as to whether she is good or not, fearing she is part demon.  
  
Bat  
Full name: Ryan "Bat" Perreault  
Species: Echidna  
Age: 27  
Theme: "Mighty Wings" (from Top Gun soundtrack)  
Profile: He is a former member of Angel Island's air force, where he held the rank of Captain. After Robotnik's defeat, he continued to aid Mobius as a whole, though still in service to Angel Island for the most part. He currently resides in Station Square.  
  
Aura Starfire  
Full name: Aurora Crystal Starfire  
Species: Fox  
Age: 19  
Theme: "Power of One" (from Pokemon the Movie 2000 Soundtrack)  
Profile: She actually comes from an alternate version of Mobius, arriving on Arcadia Mobius via a power allowing her to traverse realities. She currently resides in Station Square on Arcadia Mobius, hoping to live something close to a normal life on a world where Robotnik no longer rules. She also has an ability to fire lightning bolts.  
  
Other characters  
  
Sally  
Full name: Sally Acorn  
Species: Squirrel  
Age: 17  
Profile: Princess of Mobotropolis and girlfriend to Sonic. Always serious about the affairs of state, but still finds time...or MAKES time to be with her friends. Her relationship with the core Freedom Fighters was even key to breaking down the barriers between royalty and the common folk.  
  
Tyreke  
Full name: Tyreke Fox  
Species: Fox  
Age: 16  
Profile: He has a serious crush on Teila, and will stop at nothing to win her heart. Although not as powerful as Gamemaster, he has extensive psionic ability which he used to save Teila on a couple of occasions. Though the two ARE friends...Tyreke hopes to become more.  
  
Rebecca  
Full name: Rebecca Coriander  
Species: Hedgehog  
Age: 20  
Profile: Like Lazer, she is a survivor of the attack on Adrax. When the two of them met, they immediately became inseparable. Finding Rebecca even calmed Lazer's rage to some extent. She currently lives in Station Square with Lazer.  
  
Kyle  
Full name: Kyle Wolverine  
Species: Wolverine  
Age: 8  
Profile: Having lost his natural parents to an accident, and later his adopted parents to one of Robotnik's attacks, he found himself being cared for by Lisa. Though he doesn't know this...Lisa may decide to adopt Kyle herself.  
  
Hogi-San  
Species: Chao  
Age: 2  
Profile: A Chao raised by Lisa who eventually began to resemble Sonic, complete with spikes. Lisa completed the look by giving Hogi-San a pair of red sneakers and white gloves made to his size. Lisa considers Hogi-San one of "her little boys", along with Kyle.  
  
Ryndar  
Species: Chao  
Age: 3  
Profile: A Chao that Aura adopted when she arrived in Arcadia Mobius for the first time. Aura now cares for Ryndar full time, since she now plans to live in Station Square for good.  
  
And now... *placing a CD into my Gamecube* Let the game begin!!!  
  
(P.S. That sound you hear is the fourth wall completely shattering.)  
  
Sonic Adventure - The Arcadian Adventure  
  
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Sega-Archie Start  
  
My name is Sonic. Hard to believe all that's happened so far on Mobius. After ten plus years we're finally free from Buttnik...Arcadia is reunited AND with a couple of new worlds added to boot...my family's back together...and I even have three new sibs adopted into my family!  
  
Of course...our present condition wasn't without some casualties...  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was midnight in Mobotropolis, and in the home of Dr. Charles Hedgehog, the blue quilled form of Sonic was tossing in his bed. He was having a nightmare...one that he had been having ever since his last visit to the South Islands region...  
  
BOSS STAGE: Shadow  
CHARACTER: Sonic  
MUSIC: Final Rush  
  
It was just as last time. The two hedgehogs, side by side, one blue, the other black, getting ready to prove just who was the real one and who was the faker.  
  
After eyeing each other for a while, they took off down the long path of metal. Each one trying to outdo the other, outrun the other...and setting a frantic pace in the process. It was a race that both were giving their all for...  
  
Finally...the goal was in sight, and the blue hedgehog brought forth a quick burst of speed that left the black one in the dust. He then made it to the end, and turned around in triumph.  
  
"HA! What did you think of THAT, Shadow?" Sonic said, and looked around, not seeing Shadow anywhere. "Shadow?"  
  
He then heard Shadow's voice call out from seemingly everywhere. "I was never here, Sonic...you let me die, remember?"  
  
Suddenly, the platform Sonic was standing on gave way, and Sonic found himself plummeting towards the planet. He saw fire all around himself as he began to burn up in the atmosphere.  
  
"NO! SHADOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Sonic screamed as the light engulfed him.  
  
...and woke up in bed, in a cold sweat from the nightmare. He looked around, realized it was just a nightmare, and then laid back in his bed. Tears also began to trickle down his face as he began to remember the dark hedgehog...  
  
"Shadow..." Sonic whispered towards the dark, as he fell back into a fitful sleep, tears still coming down his face.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
SIFF Start  
  
My name is Anthony, current Gamemaster of Arcadia. Even though it's been several months, I still find it hard to believe all that's happened to me. I mean...I end up visiting worlds of what I thought were just games...help reunite Arcadia...reunite several families...and even took part in adding another world to Arcadia as well. I should be happy at my accomplishments...  
  
...but I'm not.  
  
Because...there are those who I can't get out of my mind from those events...  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was midnight in Mobotropolis, and a young human was in his bed. As he slept, a stern look was on his face as if he was concentrating on something happening to him in a dream he was having. As it turns out, this was no ordinary dream...  
  
BOSS STAGE: Packbell  
CHARACTER: Anthony  
MUSIC: Duel of the Fates  
  
They were facing each other again...as they did many times before. Packbell and Anthony had always had each other in each other's sights, knowing full well that when they fought, it would be to the destruction of one of them.  
  
Anthony activated his Mastertech Armor, allowing it to cover his body, and activated his lightsaber to ready himself for an attack. Packbell readied a lightsaber that was built into his right arm. Soon...the two warriors advanced on each other. Both began to parry blow after blow, neither one appearing to gain or lose ground.  
  
Finally, Anthony managed to disarm Packbell, removing Packbell's arm in the process, and then stabbed Packbell in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground in a mass of sparks and bleeding oil.  
  
"Well, done...Gamemaster..." Packbell said as he began to shut down. "But...what good is it to defeat me...since you failed to save others?" He then began to fade out of existence.  
  
As Anthony tried to figure out what Packbell said, suddenly, several hands, or rather paws, shot out from the ground. After that, the full bodies of Mobians began to crawl out the ground and lurch towards Anthony in a zombie-like fashion. Anthony noticed they were roboticized...and when he saw Muttski as one of them, he realized these were the Mobians who had died during Robotnik's reign.  
  
He tried to run away, but they continued to appear all around him. As he turned towards one direction he found himself face to face with a very disturbed Alec Johnson.  
  
"I was being trained to help you..." he said, looking at Anthony. "I became a menace instead! Why didn't you help me?!?"  
  
Anthony stepped back and tried to escape from him as well. He clenched his eyes in agony as he heard all the voices say in unison, "You failed us...Gamemaster..."  
  
Anthony woke up in bed in a cold sweat from this nightmare, and began to pant heavily and out of fear. Suddenly, he placed his head in his hands as tears began to fall down his face.  
  
"I don't deserve my title..." he said to himself, as he began to sob quietly in the privacy of his home. 


	2. Chapter 1 - Travel Plans

Chapter 1 - Travel Plans  
  
It was morning in the city of Mobotropolis, and work on the rebuilding effort had started up again. Most of the damage from the MADS' attacks had finally been removed, and the city was once again beginning to look like it once did.  
  
Anthony, fully dressed and wearing his armor, left his house looking as if he was in a bad way. He was still somewhat haunted by the nightmare he had last night and was on his way to Vista Point to see if some meditation could help clear his mind. He walked slowly, head bowed almost in shame and not watching where he was going. As it turned out, he bumped into someone as a result.  
  
"Sorry, about that..." Anthony said, and then noticed that the person he bumped into was someone he knew. "Oh...morning, Sonic."  
  
"Morning, Anth..." Sonic said. It was then that both noticed the sadness in each other's voices. "Anth, you alright?"  
  
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Anthony said. "But to answer your question...not really."  
  
Sonic now began to worry. "Well...seeing as you're headed to Vista Point, why don't we go there to talk?"  
  
"Alright," Anthony said. "You can even tell me what your problem is."  
  
Sonic nodded, and the two walked up to the Point.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
At Vista Point, the two heroes looked down at the rebuild effort that was going on. They were silent for a few minutes until Sonic spoke up. "So...you wanna go first or shall I?"  
  
"You first, Sonic," Anthony said. "Mine is a bit more complicated."  
  
Sonic nodded in understanding, and then began to explain. "It's Shadow...I had a nightmare about him. Even though he probably wanted to die when he plummeted towards Mobius after defeating the Biolizard...part of me still thinks I could've saved him." Sonic sighed and then said, "Although it feels good seeing that Shadow was still alive on Ani-Earth, it still gets to me sometimes."  
  
Anthony nodded in understanding, and then Sonic asked, "How about you, Anth?"  
  
Anthony sighed and then said, "I'm tired, Sonic. After what happened with Lupe and those Workerbots at that factory we found, combined with what happened with Alec earlier...I can't do this anymore."  
  
"Can't do what anymore, Anth?" Sonic asked.  
  
"I can't be a hero..." Anthony said. "I can't stand to have to go into another battle...risk seeing more people get hurt, perhaps even killed. I've seen too many people suffer already..." He then rubbed his temple and said, "...and to make things worse I actually enjoyed this before. I played the games...read the comics and fanfiction...seen the cartoons...and enjoyed them. I enjoyed seeing the suffering of an entire people..."  
  
"Anth...you didn't know this world was real then..." Sonic said.  
  
"...and that's supposed to make it RIGHT?!?" Anthony snapped, and after seeing Sonic jump back in surprise then said, "I'm sorry..."  
  
"It's alright, Anth," Sonic said, walking up and placing a paw on Anthony's shoulder. "I guess we're both still recovering from what Robotnik did..."  
  
Anthony nodded and then said, "I just wish I could get away from all this..."  
  
Sonic squeezed Anthony's shoulder to try to comfort him, and the two continued to watch the construction in silence, lost in their own thoughts.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
In the conference room in the palace of Mobotropolis, a large group was gathering. This group included Mario, Luigi, Peach, Link, Zelda, Megaman, Protoman, Bass, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Vegeta, Tenchi, Serena, Tai, Agumon, Spider-Man, and Gamemasters Jenna Larson, Lars Olson, and Amy Rose. Essentially, this was the entire contingent of the Heroes Council, with one member missing...  
  
After the group had gotten settled, Sonic stood up and addressed them. "I suppose you are all wondering why I got you guys together."  
  
"I canna guess it involves our missing member," Mario said, noting the absence of Anthony.  
  
"It does," Sonic said. "Anth is feeling low. I think seeing that last batch of Workerbots we had to bury from that factory we shut down, combined with what happened to Alec, finally made Anth reach a breaking point."  
  
"Can't say I blame him..." Zelda said, "but, to what extent are we talking that it required this meeting?"  
  
"Guys..." Sonic said, looking more serious than he ever had in the past. "Anth wants out. He's sick of seeing people suffer and wants to find a way away from it."  
  
Everyone present began to understand the situation, and Amy looked as if she was about to cry. Vegeta noticed her reaction. "Pinkie...stifle the tears!"  
  
"YOU stifle it, Vegeta!" Jenna said. "Look...to Amy, Lars, and I, he's more than just an ally, he's family. So she has every right!" Jenna then took Amy in her arm to try and comfort her, causing Vegeta to roll his eyes.  
  
"Look...don't get me wrong," Vegeta said. "I do understand the situation, and know how important the Accountantmaster is to you all and to Arcadia...but crying over it won't help! He needs to get a grip...and that's something we cannot help with!"  
  
"I hate to admit it," Bass said, "but I think Veggie's right!"  
  
"Save in one respect," Sonic said. "I think I know one way to help."  
  
"How so?" Serena asked.  
  
"I was thinking of taking Anth on a vacation...to Station Square in the South Islands region," Sonic said. "It's the one place on Mobius that Robotnik didn't try to take over due to the Overlander population there. Um...for the humans present, Overlander is still a term we use for humans native to Mobius."  
  
"It's was also the place where Sonic's father set up a Freedom Fighter base," Knuckles explained. "The Overlanders there, knowing Robotnik wouldn't attack his own kind, also helped with the resistance without him knowing."  
  
"Nice setup..." Spider-Man remarked. "So...what has Station Square become now?"  
  
"Just THE best vacation spot on Mobius!" Sonic said. "Perfect for getting Anth out of his gloom and doom attitude."  
  
"Do you really think it will work though?" Tenchi said. "I mean...Anthony will still see reminders of what happened to Mobius when he returns..."  
  
"True...but at least he'll see that not all is bad on this world," Peach said. "Maybe even give him some hope..."  
  
"Ugh...I think I'm going to be ill..." Vegeta said, disgusted.  
  
"Yeah, that DID sound kinda Afterschool Specialy, Peach," Lars said.  
  
"So...what do you think?" Sonic said.  
  
"Sounds a like a plan, Sonic," Luigi said. "So...who else is a going?"  
  
"Just myself, Anth, and Sal so far," Sonic said, then turned to Tails and Amy. "You kids want to come? I know you have friends down there..."  
  
"Sure!" Tails and Amy said, enthusiastically.  
  
"I think the rest of us should pass," Tai said. "Someone needs to keep an eye on Arcadia."  
  
The rest nodded in agreement, and then Sonic said, "Alright...then I'd better get packing."  
  
"I'll go tell Anthony, Sonic," Amy said as the group began to file out, and then ran out of the room to find Anthony. 


	3. Chapter 2 - Outset

Chapter 2 - Outset  
  
The next day found a small group gathering at an airstrip near the outskirts of Mobotropolis...namely a human, two hedgehogs, a fox, and a squirrel. Amy had no problem convincing Anthony to go on this vacation. Apparently, the thought of getting away to a place where the Arcadia portals aren't located appealed to him.  
  
"You'll like Station Square, Anth," Sonic said, getting the humans attention as he set down his suitcase. "The beaches, the restaurants...you might even have fun at the casino."  
  
"They wouldn't let me IN to the casino due to my psionics, Sonic," Anthony said. "But you're right...maybe this vacation IS what I needed." He then turned towards Tails and Amy. "I am surprised at one thing though...why didn't Tails's and Amy's parents want to come?"  
  
"Well...my parents are still busy taking care of my baby brother, and didn't think they could bring him on any trip," Tails remarked.  
  
"...and I already have a guardian coming along," Amy said, looking up towards Anthony. "Isn't that right...'Dad'?"  
  
Anthony giggled and placed an arm around Amy. As he did this, Sally asked, "Anthony...why are you wearing your armor? You don't need to bring that..."  
  
"I know...but I'm just keeping up appearances," Anthony said. "Wouldn't do Arcadia any good if I looked as depressed as I feel. Besides...I was about to ask Amy the same thing."  
  
"We have some friends down in Station Square," Amy said, "and I wanted to show them the armor as well as tell them I'm your apprentice. Teila is just going to freak!"  
  
Anthony raised his eyebrows at the mention of that name. "Teila?!?" Before he could ask, the group noticed two others approaching...Knuckles and Julie-Su.  
  
"What are you two doing here?" Sally asked.  
  
"After I told Julie about this vacation, she INSISTED we should go too," Knuckles said.  
  
"Well, you haven't had one since you were bedridden since the Dark Legion attacked," Julie-Su remarked.  
  
"Yeah...speaking of this vacation, who's flying us?!?" Anthony said. "I originally thought Tails here was going to fly us, but he's waiting here as well."  
  
"We have...special transportation picking us up, Anth," Sonic said. "A fellow Freedom Fighter is flying in to transport us to South Island." He then looked towards the sky and noticed a plane flying in. "Looks like he just arrived."  
  
A large quad-propeller plane landed at the airstrip, and Anthony was surprised to see that it appeared to be what looked like a C-130 Hercules military transport plane with the words "Angel Island Air Force" written on the side. As soon as it finished taxiing into position, the back bay door opened and a black colored echidna with his dreads tied in a ponytail exited. He was wearing what appeared to be a Air Force uniform with two silver bars on his shoulders, which were Captain's stripes. The uniform also had a patch showing a sword and lightning bolts with text saying "Air Combat Command," as well as a black name tag with white lettering that said:  
  
AIAF  
CAPT PERREAULT R M  
"BAT"  
  
He walked up to Knuckles first. "Knux!" the echidna said, shaking Knuckles's paw warmly. "I had no idea you were going on this trip!"  
  
"Neither did I...until Julie twisted my arm...literally!" Knuckles said. "How are you doing, Ryan?"  
  
"Can't complain..." Ryan said. "Now that Buttnik is gone, I can fly my fighter around without worrying about getting shot at. Of course, if Buttnik was still here, I STILL won't be shot down."  
  
Anthony wasn't listening to the conversation. He was still wide-eyed at seeing the name on the echidna's name tag. The echidna then walked up to Anthony, and said while extending his paw in friendship, "You must be the Gamemaster Knux told me about a while back. Captain Ryan Perreault, at your service. Call me 'Bat'."  
  
"I am said Gamemaster, Ryan..." Anthony said, shaking Ryan's paw, "and I actually knew about you before today."  
  
Now it was Ryan's turn to go wide-eyed. "How did you know?"  
  
"Well, Ryan...you are what is called a SIFF," Anthony said.  
  
"Wha? Him too, Anth?" Sonic said.  
  
"What's a SIFF?" Ryan asked.  
  
"I can explain on the plane," Anthony said, "since I'm sure there's room in the cockpit and since I'm sure the group wants to get moving."  
  
"Alright...everyone get on board!" Ryan said, and the group filed on the plane carrying whatever luggage they brought.  
  
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The inside of the military plane was modified slightly so the passengers inside could be comfortable. The usual troop carrier seats were modified to be more like passenger airplane seats, and, at present, the six passengers inside that area were sitting in comfort, and talking about their destination.  
  
"It will be good to see Station Square again," Sally said. "I've been wondering how they've reacted to Robotnik's defeat."  
  
"Probably dancing in the streets," Sonic said. "The Overlanders that lived there almost got a bad reputation because of Buttnik."  
  
"I just wonder if Twinkle Park's having that cute couples deal again," Julie-Su said. "Might be just the thing for Knuckles and I to take advantage of." Knuckles blushed upon hearing this.  
  
"I just can't wait to see our friends there!" Tails said. "Especially Tay! She seemed to like it when I gave her my old workshop there."  
  
Amy took a look towards the cockpit and said, "I just hope Anthony will be alright..."  
  
Tails placed a paw on Amy's shoulder and said, "I'm sure he will. He seemed to be just as excited as we were about this trip."  
  
Amy nodded in understanding, propped her elbow on an armrest, and leaned her head on her paw as she started to fall asleep from the drone of the plane engines.  
  
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"Fanfiction, huh?"  
  
Anthony was explaining the concept of SIFF to Ryan. "Yeah. Basically the fanfiction author who wrote about you thought he was writing about himself as a Mobian, thus making you a SIFF. I derived the term SIFF from the phrase 'self-insertion fan fiction'. In fact, I happen to be a SIFF as well, since there is another Anthony Bault on Rift Earth who wrote about me, thinking he was writing self-insert fics."  
  
"Weird..." Ryan said. "Meet any other SIFFs?"  
  
"Yes," Anthony said. "On Ani-Earth there are these SIFFs named Merc, Angel, Ashura, and Sabian. On Rift Earth, there's one named Jeff. You wouldn't believe how many I've met when I first came to Mobius..."  
  
"Wow...have any of them met their author selfs?" Ryan asked.  
  
"Well, Ashura, Jeff, and Merc have, since they ARE their author selfs," Anthony said, then noticing Ryan's confused look. "Don't ask...too complicated."  
  
"Alright," Ryan said. He then turned back towards his controls and asked, "So...how does it feel knowing Sonic isn't just a video game?"  
  
Anthony frowned and said, "Sometimes, I wish it wasn't real..."  
  
"Huh?" Ryan said, surprised. "You're friends with who are considered celebs on Earth...your family bloodline is considered one of the most famous around...you have powers that would make Kreskin jealous..."  
  
"I know..." Anthony said, "...but if this world wasn't real, then the terrible things that happened to your people wouldn't have occured..."  
  
Ryan nodded in understanding, and then noticed that a small tear ran down Anthony's cheek. "Gamemaster...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you..."  
  
Anthony wiped his tears away and said, "It's alright. It's one of the reasons Sonic suggested this trip, so I could calm down from recent events. I'll be fine..."  
  
Ryan returned his concentration to his controls, deciding not to press the issue any further. Anthony began to look out of the cockpit window, letting himself get lost in his own thoughts. 


	4. Chapter 3 - Arrival

Chapter 3 - Arrival  
  
The plane landed on a runway that was located in the Mystic Ruins. As soon as it taxied to the yellow line, the group exited the plane through the rear bay, taking their luggage with them. Anthony noticed they were at Tails's workshop, and that there were two other planes on the premises, including what looked like a scaled down F-15E Strike Eagle and...  
  
"Hey...isn't this the Tornado Three?" Anthony asked, looking at a single passenger jet plane colored sky blue.  
  
"Yes, it is," Tails said. "Hang on...I'm going to see if someone's here." He then ran into the main hanger of the workshop.  
  
"Hope you don't mind if I join you," Ryan said, rejoining the group after making sure the plane had finally shut down. "I have a couple of buds here I want to say hi to...in fact, it's the same guys you'll be shacking up with."  
  
"Who?" Anthony said, curious.  
  
"A couple of buds of mine, both Freedom Fighters from my dad's regiment here in the South Islands," Sonic said. "After Buttnik's defeat, they decided to keep the old HQ as their home."  
  
"Where is it located?" Anthony asked.  
  
"Below the hotel in Station Square," Sally said. "They even have the top floor of the hotel reserved for whenever anyone visits."  
  
Tails walked out of the hanger looking a bit depressed. "They aren't here. Looks like I'll have to call them later."  
  
"Well, we'd better get moving," Knuckles said, looking towards the train station. "Looks like the train to Station Square just arrived."  
  
The group then ran up to the train, and the train sped off after everyone had boarded.  
  
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The train ride was uneventful...and long. Though Anthony knew the trip was shortened for the game, he realized the actual trip would be much longer.  
  
"I can't wait to get to the hotel," Julie-Su said. "After that plane trip and this train ride, I could just collapse in a warm bed right about now."  
  
"Yeah...well, I'm glad the locals didn't treat me like a VIP," Anthony said. "I was hoping this place would get me away from that."  
  
"It isn't going to happen, Anthony..." Amy said, looking out of the window. "Look."  
  
Anthony did so, and groaned when he saw the reception that was gathered near the exit of the train inside the station. He also saw one familiar face amongst the crowd...  
  
"Wait...isn't that Sara?" Anthony asked.  
  
Sonic looked where Anthony was looking and said, "Whoa...you're right! What's the president's daughter doing here...and did you know who she was?"  
  
"She's probably here to welcome us..." Anthony suggested. "As for how I knew her...she's in the anime."  
  
"Ugh, I SAW that anime..." Tails said, somewhat disgusted. "Whoever did the English dub made me sound like a demented six year old!"  
  
As soon as the train stopped, Anthony's group began to file out. The group that been waiting then walked up to Anthony's group and Sara walked up to Anthony.  
  
"Gamemaster?" Sara asked, prompting Anthony to nod. "My name is Sara, daughter to the president of South Island." She then extended a hand towards Anthony and said, "Welcome to Station Square."  
  
"Thank you, Sara," Anthony said, shaking Sara's hand, "and please, call me Anthony."  
  
"Of course, Anthony," Sara said. Anthony then noticed Sara blushed slightly before she turned to welcome the others. After the pleasantries were exchanged, Anthony's group then headed out of the train station and headed for the hotel.  
  
"Anth, you sly dog!" Ryan piped up as they exited the station. "I think the president's daughter is sweet on you!"  
  
"You noticed that too, huh?" Anthony said. "I think it just might be a small crush. If she's like she was in the anime, she's like a female version of Brock..."  
  
"...and if Mario heard you, he'd say 'NO A POKEMON REFS!'" Sonic remarked.  
  
"Well, let's just get to the hotel," Amy said. "We can debate about Anthony's girlfriend later..."  
  
"She NOT my girlfriend, Ames...sheesh..." Anthony said, as the group began to laugh.  
  
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"Rooms for Sonic and company?" Anthony asked the hotel clerk.  
  
"Of course...the usual rooms have been reserved on the 40th floor," the clerk said, handing Anthony a pack of room keycards. "Have a pleasant stay."  
  
After getting the keys, the group entered an elevator and headed up to the top floor of the hotel. Anthony noticed just a single door on the floor, and upon opening it found one of the largest hotel rooms he's ever seen.  
  
"What the HELL is this?!?" Anthony said. "This isn't a hotel room, it's a luxury condominium!"  
  
"Well, with six bedrooms, a couple of bathrooms, and even a private terrace, you're not too far off," Sally remarked as she placed her luggage in one of the rooms.  
  
After Anthony placed his duffel in another of the rooms, he joined the rest of the group that had gathered in the sitting area. They were presently putting their feet up and talking.  
  
"So, you planning on staying, Ryan?" Knuckles asked. "We'd be glad to put you up..."  
  
"Actually, I have my own place down the road," Ryan said. "After I say hi to the guys here, I was going to split."  
  
"Well, at least stay for dinner," Amy suggested. "You and Knuckles haven't seen each other for a while, and I'm sure the others wouldn't mind."  
  
"Speaking of the others..." Anthony said, getting the group's attention, "how do we get to them?"  
  
"Just watch, Anth..." Sonic said, and walked over to what appeared to be a blank wall. He then removed his glove and pressed his paw against part of it, and the rest of the wall slid away, revealing an elevator.  
  
"Nice..." Anthony said, as the group filed into the elevator. "Though I'm expecting to see Miss Moneypenny and Q at the bottom of this thing..."  
  
After the door to the elevator closed, the elevator then felt like it was dropping quickly down the shaft. Soon, it slowed down and opened, and Anthony noticed the floor appeared to be filled with a lot of computer equipment.  
  
"Welcome to SSFFHQ...or Station Square Freedom Fighter HQ," Sally said.  
  
Anthony began to look around as the group filed out. As he did so, he noticed a familiar face approaching the group...a yellow furred, purple haired mongoose wearing a black tank top, green padded elbow-length gloves, green boots, and tan shorts.  
  
"Mina!" Anthony said. "So THIS is where you've been hiding!"  
  
"Well, not hiding really..." Mina said. "I live here with my boyfriend. It's great to see you all again." She then walked forward to give friendly hugs to all present, save for Anthony as she just shook his hand.  
  
"Speaking of your boyfriend..." Ryan said, "are the boys here?"  
  
"Yeah, they were waiting for you all to arrive," Mina said. "Come on, they're in the meeting room."  
  
The group followed Mina through several corridors and the group ended up entering a room with several chairs and a large table. Anthony noticed three of the chairs were occupied by three red quilled hedgehogs.  
  
One of them was a male with black eyes who had a scar over the left eyebrow, and who was wearing a black denim jacket, blue and black sneakers, black fingerless gloves, and a blue bandanna around his neck. The other male had a V shaped patch of fur on his head and wore gloves that were spiked at the wrist and appeared white, but were a light shade of blue. Next to him was a female with a similar V shaped patch of fur, but more curved, and who was wearing a white t-shirt, baggy pants, and sandals.  
  
Anthony's eyes widened as he saw them. Because he knew them, respectively, as Red Sonic, Lazer, and Rebecca Coriander. He even showed his knowledge of who they were with a cry of, "What the...Red Sonic? Lazer? Rebecca?"  
  
"Whoa..." Red Sonic said. "I knew the new Gamemaster was a master psionicist, but to figure out our names..."  
  
"I don't think it's that, Red," Sonic said, and then turned towards Anthony. "You recognize them, Anth?"  
  
"Indeed I do, Sonic," Anthony said, and then walked forward to shake the paws of the three, still confused, red hedgehogs in greeting. "A pleasure to meet all of you."  
  
"Same here," Lazer said. "Though I am somewhat confused...how did you recognize us?"  
  
"Well, Lazer," Anthony said. "You and Red are what are known as SIFFs."  
  
"You've got to be kidding...them TOO?!?" Tails said.  
  
"What's a SIFF?" Red Sonic asked.  
  
Anthony briefly explained what he had explained to Ryan on route to South Island, and both Red and Lazer were surprised at what Anthony was explaining. After the explanation, everyone sat down to talk.  
  
"So, I hear that you're here on a badly needed vacation," Rebecca said.  
  
"Yeah..." Anthony said in response. "After what happened with Alec and later Lupe, Sonic figured this was the best way to get my mind off things. Personally...I think it's a great idea. I haven't had a real vacation in a long time, what with everything that's happened in Arcadia lately."  
  
"Same thing with Knuckles here," Julie-Su quipped.  
  
"Yeah, I heard the last time the guy relaxed it was because of a Dark Legion attack," Lazer said. "You have GOT to ease up a bit, Knux."  
  
"Look who's talking, Mr. 'became a Freedom Fighter for revenge'," Knuckles shot back. "So, what HAVE you guys been doing now that Buttnik is out of the picture."  
  
"Training, mostly," Red Sonic said. "The city gives us jobs to do from time to time, so we try to keep in top shape. Lazer here is STILL trying to figure out that one sword technique..."  
  
"You still haven't figured that out?" Anthony asked, addressing Lazer. "Maybe I can help you with that..."  
  
"Cool..." Lazer said.  
  
"So, Anthony," Mina said, "did you want a quick tour of the facilities?"  
  
"Why not," Anthony said, getting up, and then following Mina outside of the room.  
  
After Anthony had left, the rest of the group continued to talk. "So...is it true?" Red Sonic started. "Anth wants out of the hero business?"  
  
"Yes..." Sally said. "The recent events involving Alec and Lupe hit him hard. We're hoping this vacation could help."  
  
"He actually told me he wished Mobius wasn't real...just so what happened to us with Robotnik never happened," Ryan said.  
  
"He told you that?" Amy said, now even more worried. "I had no idea..."  
  
"I did..." Sonic said. "Anth said as much when he told me how guilty he felt enjoying the games, comics, cartoons, and fanfiction back on Earth."  
  
"Can't say I blame him..." Lazer said. "I'd probably feel just as bad knowing the events in one of my favorite books was real...especially if it was a war novel. Though to be honest...I am curious to see some of those Earth games, especially the Sonic games."  
  
"I can help with that," Tails said, getting up. "I brought my Gameboy Advance..."  
  
"I don't believe it..." Julie-Su said. "You're STILL hooked on that Sonic Advance game from Earth?"  
  
"What do you expect?" Tails said. "How often do get to play a game you star in?"  
  
The others nodded in agreement as Tails went to get his Advance.  
  
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"...and this is our training area," Mina said, finishing up the tour at an observation window which overlooked a couple of training areas. "We have two different courses down here...one for speed and one for combat. Sometimes we use the combat course for recon training as well."  
  
"Nice," Anthony said. "I'm surprised you can actually place all this underground like this..."  
  
"We had help from the Overlanders here," Mina said. "The public works department even diverted some of the sewers to help."  
  
"Speaking of which...who are these Overlanders?" Anthony asked. "I mean...I didn't think there were humans native to Mobius."  
  
"They're actually the descendants of humans that migrated to Mobius when the portals were still open 1000 years ago," Mina explained. "In fact, they came from both Earth and Neo-Earth."  
  
"I see..." Anthony said, and then noticed the others arriving on the scene. Anthony then giggled slightly when he saw Lazer staring intently at a Gameboy Advance.  
  
"Tails shouldn't have brought this," Rebecca said. "He'll be on this thing forever! I'm just glad he didn't bring a role-playing game for it..."  
  
"Ah, an RPG lover like me. Glad I didn't bring my copy of Golden Sun then..." Anthony commented. "So, what are you all doing down here?"  
  
"Well, figuring Mina would finish up here," Red Sonic remarked, "we were wondering if you wanted to run the combat course?"  
  
Anthony looked at the course in question and asked, "Why?"  
  
"We were curious to see the Gamemaster in action," Ryan said. "Julie-Su even offered to join you in the course to take care of the long range targets."  
  
Anthony looked towards Julie-Su, who was currently checking a blaster pistol she was given, and rubbed his chin in thought. He then shrugged his shoulders and said, "Why not? What do I need to do?"  
  
"Just get to the end of the course, taking out as many targets as possible," Rebecca explained.  
  
"Alright...lead us to the entry point..." Anthony said, and Mina lead him and Julie-Su to an elevator shaft.  
  
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STAGE 1 - FF Combat Training Course  
CHARACTERS: Julie-Su/Anthony  
MUSIC: "Distortions in the Void of Despair" from Valkyrie Profile  
OBJECTIVE: Reach the end of the course!  
  
The elevator opened at the bottom of the shaft and Julie-Su and Anthony stepped out, ready for battle. Anthony readied his lightsaber while looking around at the surrounding course. Julie-Su noticed this as he readied her blaster. "Scoping out the area, Anthony?"  
  
"Yeah, looks like mostly target drones," Anthony said. "What can you tell me about them?"  
  
"Well, you're the one with the Jedi weapon there...what do YOU think they'll act like?" Julie-Su said, ad-libbing.  
  
Anthony smirked, remembering the Remotes Luke went against, and then the both of them heard Ryan's voice over the speaker. "Okay, guys...get ready..."  
  
Anthony and Julie-Su readied themselves, and then ran into the course when Ryan said "GO!!"  
  
The two ran out into the course, and several drones trained their sights on them. Anthony activated his lightsaber to take out the two close drones while Julie-Su shot the two to the sides.  
  
"So much for those..." Julie-Su said, and then the two of them continued down the course.  
  
They reached a ladder and Anthony began to climb up it, and nearly fell when two laser blasts impacted the wall close to him. Anthony turned around and saw two target drones closing in on the two of them. Anthony sent a Force Blast towards them, scrapping them.  
  
At the top of the ladder, the two of them saw several humanoid robots and a few target drones. Julie-Su took out the drones while Anthony went in close to the robots, slashing with his lightsaber and using it to deflect their laser blasts back towards them.  
  
Red Sonic and Rebecca were surprised at how Anthony was fighting. Lazer even stopped playing the Gameboy Advance long enough to watch Anthony's skill with the lightsaber...though he couldn't help wonder if he was one of those "Jedi" he heard about from a movie series on Earth.  
  
Finally, after downing several drones and robots, Julie-Su and Anthony reached the end of the course. Both were tired from the run, and they looked up towards the observation window. "How'd we do?" Anthony yelled up towards the window.  
  
"You and I definitely need to practice swordplay together, Anthony!" Lazer remarked.  
  
Anthony smirked at this remark, and then he and Julie-Su returned to the elevator. When they returned to the observation area, they saw Mina and Red Sonic waiting for them.  
  
"We're next, Anthony," Mina said. "We figured you might want to see the speed course in action, so Red and I are going to run the course."  
  
"Sure thing," Anthony said. "Would of thought Sonic would want to..."  
  
"Yeah, but Mina here still needs the practice," Red Sonic commented. "She still has problems controlling her speed."  
  
"Yeah, that WAS covered in Archie's comic series..." Anthony commented.  
  
"It WAS?!?" Mina said, somewhat embarrassed. "Oh, man..."  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it, Mina," Sonic said. "Not everyone can be me!" Sonic then got a weird look from Red Sonic. "Including you, Red. You said so yourself."  
  
"True..." Red Sonic remarked, and then turned towards Mina. "Shall we?"  
  
"We shall..." Mina said, and then the two of them entered the elevator.  
  
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STAGE 2 - FF Speed Training Course  
CHARACTERS: Mina/Red Sonic  
MUSIC: That music in the Sonic Anime where Sonic and Tails are in the Land of Darkness, before they reach the Ancient Ruins  
Objective: Reach the end of the course!  
  
The elevator door opened and Mina and Red Sonic looked out on the course. Several loops, barriers, and other obstacles dotted the course. Mina and Red Sonic walked up to the start of the course, and Mina gave Red Sonic a quick peck on the cheek.  
  
"For luck," Mina remarked.  
  
"Ah...you didn't need to do that, Mina..." Red Sonic said. "Forget who I'm cloned from?"  
  
"No...but I wanted to do it anyway..." Mina said.  
  
"Hey...just having you with me is luck enough..." Red said, causing Mina to blush.  
  
"If you two are done being lemony..." Anthony said from the observation window.  
  
Red and Mina regained their composure and readied themselves to run. When Ryan said "GO!!", the two rocketed off down the course.  
  
Anthony was surprised at how fast the two of them were moving, appearing as nothing more than a red blur and a purplish-green blur along the track. They even managed to move through several of the obstacles without needing to slow down. Well...almost...  
  
Mina was still having trouble moving through the obstacles at top speed, and needed to right herself through many of them. Red Sonic noticed this and held himself back a bit so Mina could catch up.  
  
Finally, the two of them saw the end of the course approach, and the two of them poured on the speed. A slight green glow seemed to encompass Red Sonic as he surged forward, evidence of exposure to Chaos Emerald energy. He ended up crossing the finish line first, and when he saw Mina trying to brake, positioned himself to catch her. After catching her, he drew her into a hug, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and said, "What kept you?"  
  
"Traffic was bad..." Mina quipped.  
  
Anthony was impressed by this display. "Daaaaaaaamn..."  
  
"How are you guys feeling down there?" Lazer asked.  
  
"Tired...and hungry," Red Sonic said. "And since it's close to dinnertime..."  
  
"Sounds like a plan there, Red..." Sonic said. "Let's all meet up at the room."  
  
The group then gathered near the hidden elevator, and headed up to the top floor of the hotel... 


	5. Chapter 4 - Late Night Events

Chapter 4 - Late Night Events  
  
"Okay..." Sonic said, brandishing several bags of hot food from various locations, "we got tacos for Lazer and Rebecca...a cheeseburger for Ames...fish and chips for Anth from Big's shop..."  
  
"Yeah...I didn't realize that he owned a seafood shop and fishing tackle store," Anthony remarked. "Though I shouldn't be too surprised..."  
  
"...and chili dogs for the rest of us." Sonic said, setting out all the food. "When Tails gets back, we can dig in!"  
  
"Who's he calling, by the way?" Anthony asked.  
  
"We were planning to meet with someone tomorrow, and then head over to Twinkle Park," Amy explained. "Actually...you should know who we're meeting with, since we met her in Mobotropolis. Lisa Echidna."  
  
(A/N: This was covered in one of my MiSTs...before FF.net removed it.)  
  
"Oh yeah..." Anthony said, remembering how she was commissioned to paint a picture for Arcadia, and then turned towards Lazer, Red Sonic, and Ryan. "You should get a kick out this, guys...she's ALSO a SIFF."  
  
"Holy SHIT...how many fanfiction authors wrote about us?!?" Ryan asked.  
  
"I'd show you...but rat.org no longer exists..." Anthony quipped.  
  
Tails finally rejoined the group and said, "Lisa's ready to meet us tomorrow. I even got a hold of Teila and told her we're here, so she'll be joining us as well."  
  
Anthony heard the word "Teila" again, but shook it off, thinking, "Nah...can't be the same one...too much of a coincidence..."  
  
"Well, let's dig in before this food gets cold," Sonic said, "and letting a chili dog get cold is a sin!"  
  
"I'm with that..." Tails said, looking at the chili dogs hungrily.  
  
No further words were said as the group dug into the food.  
  
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That evening, most of the group had already gone to bed. Anthony had just finished tucking Amy in, and noticed Sonic walking out of the door.  
  
"Sonic," Anthony said quietly, "where are you going?"  
  
"Just for a run, Anth," Sonic said. "I'm not tired yet, and I figured a good run should tire me out."  
  
"Alright...I'll tell Sally if she wakes up and wonders where you are..." Anthony said.  
  
Sonic nodded and then headed towards the elevator. Anthony watched as the elevator closed, and began to worry...since he sensed that Sonic had another reason for heading out.  
  
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Sonic ran down the main street of Station Square, creating a blue blur as he headed towards his destination. He finally stopped near a public park, and walked towards a secluded area near some bushes. There, he knelt down near a small stone marker which read, "In loving memory of hero who made everyone happy - Shadow the Hedgehog".  
  
"Hey, buddy..." Sonic said, seeming to talk to the marker. "You didn't think I'd forget about you, did ya?" Sonic then frowned and said, "That's the problem. Not a day goes by without me thinking I could've saved you." He then fingered the lettering which said "Shadow", and with a tear in his eye said, "Goddess...if you can hear me Shadow...please, forgive me..." He then let several tears out, remembering his friend.  
  
Sonic was then snapped to attention when he heard a voice say, "There was nothing you could have done, Sonic. You must know that by now."  
  
Sonic quickly wiped away his tears and looked up towards the source of the voice, and saw a familiar face. A white furred female bat, wearing white elbow length gloves with pink cuffs, knee length boots, and a pink and black jumpsuit. She also had what looked like an arm bracelet on her left upper arm.  
  
"Rouge..." Sonic said, getting up to meet her. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I've been around..." Rouge said. "I actually work for Station Square's government as an investigator. When I told Knuckles I was looking for something better than jewels...I didn't tell him it was justice."  
  
"To prevent what happened to Shadow from happening again, huh?" Sonic said.  
  
Rouge nodded, and then, to Sonic's surprise, she embraced the blue hedgehog and gave him a warm hug. "I figure you could use this...Goddess, it's good to see you again..."  
  
"Thanks, Rouge..." Sonic said, returning the hug. After releasing it, he then said, "You know, you should meet Anth. He's here on vacation too."  
  
"Yes...I heard the Gamemaster was here..." Rouge remarked.  
  
"Say..." Sonic said, getting an idea, "why don't you join us tomorrow? You can meet him and the rest of the gang then. Knuckles is even going to be there."  
  
"Sure, why not?" Rouge said. "It will be nice to see everyone again."  
  
After saying this, Sonic then heard a voice say, "Sonic?" Sonic turned towards the source and saw Sally and Ryan running towards them.  
  
"Sal? Ryan? What are you guys doing here?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Anthony told me you had gone out for a run...and told me his suspicions that you had another reason," Sally said. "So...I figured you'd be here..."  
  
"Damn that psion..." Sonic said.  
  
"Sonic...don't blame Anthony..." Sally said, and then noticed Rouge off to the side. "Oh...Rouge! I didn't realize you were in Station Square..."  
  
"Actually, I live here. I'm in charge of the city's security and investigations," Rouge said, stepping forward. "It's good to see you again, your highness."  
  
"Please Rouge, no need for the formalities..." Sally said. "Just Sally is fine."  
  
"Alright..." Rouge said. "Sonic actually invited me to join you tomorrow so I could meet the Gamemaster."  
  
"Yeah...I was invited as well," Ryan commented. "We should probably head back to our respective homes...Sonic, you'd better escort Sally back. Rouge, do you need an escort?"  
  
"Why, thank you, Ryan," Rouge said as Sonic picked up Sally and sped off.  
  
After those two had disappeared, Rouge asked, "So...what were you doing here?"  
  
"Sally wanted me to help her find Sonic and figured he'd be here, but she wasn't sure," Ryan commented as the two walked.  
  
"I see..." Rouge said, and was suddenly knocked down from someone brushing against her. "Hey! Watch it!" She then noticed the person was running off and then felt her upper arm. "He has my bracelet!"  
  
"Let's get this guy..." Ryan said as the two chased him, and noticed him running into Radical Highway...  
  
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STAGE 3 - Radical Highway  
CHARACTERS: Rouge/Bat  
MUSIC: "In the Beginning, There was Light?" from Valkyrie Profile  
OBJECTIVE: Catch that thief!  
  
Radical Highway was nearly empty as Ryan and Rouge tried to catch up to the thief. They noticed him trying to escape through some of the buildings on the side.  
  
"You take the high road, Rouge, and fly up to see if you can find him," Ryan said. "I'll take the low road and follow on foot."  
  
"Yeah, well if you reach the thief before me, I'll be disappointed..." Rouge said, and took off skyward.  
  
Ryan continued to run towards the shadowy figure that was trying to get away. "Stop, you!" Ryan yelled, and cursed himself that he couldn't use his sidearm. After all, local law prohibited it unless the perp shot first.  
  
Meanwhile, Rouge reached the rooftops and saw the thief with Ryan in hot pursuit. She deftly jumped from rooftop to rooftop to get ahead of the thief and readied herself for an attack. When the thief came in range, she dived down and sent a hard kick to the thief, dropping him to the ground and sending the bracelet flying towards Ryan, who caught it.  
  
Rouge then got a good look at the thief, and saw that she knew who it was. "Nack? You again?"  
  
Nack shook his head to recover, and then looked up at Rouge with fear. "I'm sorry...I just need the money! With my rep, I can't get a decent job anywhere to support myself!"  
  
"Well, stealing from ME didn't help much either!" Rouge said, forcably bringing Nack to his feet. "I'll let you go this time since the paperwork for turning you in would take to damn long...but if I see you stealing again, I'll send you six feet under!"  
  
"*gulp* Yes, ma'am!" Nack said, and ran off.  
  
Rouge shook her head and then looked towards Ryan. "Ryan, shall we get going?"  
  
Ryan wasn't paying attention. He was focused on the bracelet that was recovered and had a strange look on his face. He was snapped to attention when he heard Rouge say, "Thanks for getting that, by the way..."  
  
"This bracelet..." Ryan said, handing it to Rouge. "Isn't this...Shadow's?"  
  
"Yes..." Rouge said, replacing it on her upper arm. "My way of remembering him..."  
  
"I see..." Ryan said, and then looked down at the ground sadly.  
  
Rouge looked at Ryan and said, "What's wrong?"  
  
"I wasn't exactly nice to Shadow..." Ryan said, "challenging him to fights when we met, laughing at him when I actually beat him. Then he actually saves the world...and dies as a result. If that doesn't make you feel like a jerk..."  
  
"Hey, we all had our bad moments," Rouge said. "I actually tried to steal the Master Emerald."  
  
"Yeah, I know..." Ryan said. "I only wish I could have made peace with the guy before he died..."  
  
Rouge nodded in understanding. "Looks like Sonic isn't the only one suffering. Come...I'll walk with you back to our homes."  
  
Ryan nodded in understanding, and the two of them walked back towards Station Square's main street.  
  
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The elevator doors opened at the top of the hotel, and Sonic and Sally exited it and headed towards their room. As they opened the door, Sally asked, "Sonic...why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I didn't want you to worry, Sal..." Sonic said. "I mean, you guys were already worried about Anthony, you didn't need to worry about me."  
  
"But you should've told someone about that nightmare," Sally said.  
  
"He did...he told me..." a voice said, and then Sally and Sonic saw Anthony walk towards them. "Frankly, I'm surprised he didn't tell you. Was he where you thought he was?"  
  
"Yes, he was..." Sally remarked.  
  
Anthony nodded in understanding. "Maybe coming here was a bad idea..."  
  
"No, I'll be fine, Anth..." Sonic said. "I...just needed to see the marker again...say goodbye...pray for forgiveness..."  
  
"Oh, Sonic..." Sally said, embracing Sonic. "Come on...let's get to bed. We can talk about this in the morning..."  
  
Anthony said his goodnights as Sonic and Sally reentered their bedroom. He then looked out of the window towards the night sky, and was deep in thought. After a while, he returned to his own bedroom...wondering whether this trip was for his benefit...or for Sonic's. 


	6. Chapter 5 - Forgathering

Chapter 5 - Forgathering  
  
A purple quilled echidna entered the entry hall to the Station Square Chao Garden. She walked up to the front desk and said, "Hello, I'm here to pick up my Chao, Hogi-San?"  
  
"Ah, yes, Miss...Lisa Echidna is it?" the desk person asked, prompting a nod from the echidna. "Go right on inside."  
  
Lisa entered the large grassy area that formed the Chao Garden, and looked amongst all the Chao that were running and playing everywhere. It didn't take her long to find Hogi-San...spying a small blue Chao with what looked like a hedgehog's quills and wearing Chao sized gloves and shoes. The Chao in question also spied Lisa, and squeaked happily and ran up to her.  
  
"Hi, Hogi-San!" Lisa said, kneeling down and hugging the Chao. She then released the hug and said, "Guess what? We're going to see the guy you look like today and play at Twinkle Park! Would you like that?"  
  
Hogi-San squeaked happily again, and then nuzzled Lisa again. Lisa picked up Hogi-San and was getting ready to leave, when she noticed someone off to the side.  
  
The person she saw was a gray furred female fox with purple head fur and wearing loose clothing. She seemed to be looking amongst all the Chao with a curious look on her face.  
  
"Can I help you with something?" Lisa said, causing the fox to look back at her.  
  
"Oh...maybe..." the fox said. "I'm...kind of new to Station Square and was curious about these, 'Chao'..."  
  
"I'm not surprised," Lisa said. "Most people in Station Square have a Chao. I even came here to pick up mine." Lisa then showed Hogi-San to the fox, and the fox acted in surprise.  
  
"Wow! That Chao looks like Sonic!" the fox said.  
  
"I know..." Lisa said with a giggle. "He was even surprised at how Hogi-San looked..."  
  
The fox then raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You know Sonic?"  
  
"Yes, I'm actually friends with him," Lisa said.  
  
"So am I...or at least an acquaintance in another reality..." the fox remarked.  
  
Lisa then looked at the fox in surprise. "Another reality?"  
  
"Yes..." the fox explained. "I came from another version of Mobius, using a power I have to traverse realities, and came to this version a month ago. I've been travelling the planet, looking for a place to live since I wanted to live in a Robotnik free Mobius, and thought about settling down here."  
  
"Wow...you should meet the Gamemaster then..." Lisa remarked. "He knows a lot about alternate realities...in fact, I'm meeting him later today."  
  
"Yes, I heard about the Gamemaster..." the fox said, "but I can't impose..."  
  
"Oh, it's no problem..." Lisa said. "In fact, if you're looking for a place to stay, I have plenty of room at my studio until you find a more permanent home."  
  
"You're too kind..." the fox said, "but I cannot accept..."  
  
"I insist," Lisa said. "There's no reason a person like you should be without a roof over your head."  
  
"Alright..." the fox said. "Thank you so much...oh, and my name's Aurora Starfire, but you can just call me Aura."  
  
"...and my name is Lisa," Lisa said, shaking the paw of Aura. "Come on, I'll show where I live."  
  
As the two began to leave, they noticed one Chao that wasn't playing with the others. It appeared to be covered with gray fur with purple stripes, and looked to have two golden bracelets on its arms. It was just sitting down, looking sad.  
  
Lisa stopped one of the nearby attendants and asked him, "Excuse me...I think you have a sick Chao over there..."  
  
The attendant looked and said, "Afraid not. That Chao was abandoned. It's owner died not too long ago, and the family did not want to care for it. We're currently looking for someone willing to care for it."  
  
"Poor thing..." Aura said, and then looked towards the Chao. "Do you suppose...I could adopt it?"  
  
"Of course..." the attendant said. "By the way...the Chao's name is Ryndar."  
  
Aura walked up to Ryndar, and Ryndar in turn looked up at Aura. "It's alright little one..." Aura said, "I was told what happened, and I thought I could take care of you." Ryndar, almost as if he understood what Aura said, moved towards Aura and began to nuzzle her.  
  
Lisa saw this smiled. "I think he likes you, Aura..."  
  
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"Okay...for the fastest guy on the planet, how come you take too damn long in the shower?!?"  
  
Anthony was waiting outside the bathroom for Sonic to be finished. Eventually, Sonic finally left the bathroom and said, "Hey, c'mon Anth. Perfection like THIS takes time."  
  
"Perfection, huh?" Anthony said. "Then you'd probably want another 30 minutes..."  
  
"HEY!!!"  
  
Several giggles could be heard from the sitting room, where the others have gathered. "He put you in your place, Blue..." Knuckles could be heard saying.  
  
"Ah, bite me, Knux..." Sonic said, joining the others in the sitting room as Anthony entered the bathroom. After a while, Anthony finally left the bathroom, got dressed, put on his armor, and joined the group as well.  
  
"You don't have to wear your armor, Anthony..." Sally said.  
  
"Sorry, force of habit, besides, it looks good," Anthony said, and then remarked, "I hope there's going to be coffee at that brunch Lisa's making..."  
  
"You actually drink that stuff?" Tails asked. "Yuk..."  
  
"Well, it was my fuel back when I worked as a computer programmer..." Anthony said.  
  
"I'm sure she will," Sally said. "It should be fun seeing her again.'  
  
"I just wonder how she'll react to my new armor and powers," Amy said. "I bet you even Teila will freak!"  
  
"Okay, that's the third time I heard that name, and I have to ask..." Anthony said. "Is Teila who I think it is? Teila Fox...a female orange fox with green and blue head fur and an addiction to pineapple soda?"  
  
Several pairs of eyes looked towards Anthony with shocked glance. "How did you know?" Sally asked.  
  
"Same reason as Lisa, Red, Lazer, and Ryan," Anthony remarked. "She too...is a SIFF..."  
  
"MAN!!!" Sonic said. "What are you, some kind of fanfiction fanboy?"  
  
"You might say that..." Anthony said. "Might even be interesting to meet Tyreke and see his psi power."  
  
"I hope he DOESN'T show up," Julie-Su said. "From what Knuckles said, the guy's attitude isn't that great..."  
  
"I'm sure he'll behave," Sonic said. "After all, the guy would be afraid of Tails's new found Descendancy Powers..."  
  
Anthony nodded in understanding, and then Sally stood up. "Well, shall we get going?" she said.  
  
Everyone nodded, and the group went down to the lobby of the hotel. They noticed Lazer, Red Sonic, Mina, and Rebecca waiting for them.  
  
"Morning, guys!" Mina said. "Ready to go?"  
  
"Not yet...we have a couple more showing up," Sonic said. Almost on cue, Ryan and Rouge entered the lobby.  
  
Anthony was the first to notice the two of them. "Hey...isn't that Rouge?"  
  
"Sure is, Anth," Sonic said, and then watched as the two of them walked over to the rest of the group.  
  
"Ah, I see the gang's all here..." Rouge said, and then looked towards Anthony. "You must be Anthony, the new Gamemaster of Arcadia."  
  
"That's me," Anthony said, shaking Rouge's paw. "A pleasure to meet Sega's newest starlet."  
  
Rouge smiled at the mention of Sega. "Yes, I actually saw that game. Still seems strange Earth being able to see this world even before the portals were open..."  
  
"Heck, I don't even know how that worked," Anthony said, "and I'm supposed to know everything about psionics now."  
  
"Ah, we can debate it later," Ryan said. "Let's get going to Lisa's. I'm starving and she told me she's got a feast planned."  
  
"I'll go get Teila," Mina said. "I'll meet you all at Lisa's."  
  
"Hurry back!" Red Sonic said.  
  
"Red...you should know better than to say that..." Mina said.  
  
"I know..." Red Sonic said. "OH, and when you meet Teila, tell her it turns out Anth knows her...as a SIFF."  
  
"Really?" Mina said. "Well, that will save on introductions then. I'll see you at Lisa's!" She then sped out of the hotel.  
  
Lazer shook his head at this. "Reminds me of you, Blue..."  
  
"I think you taught her TOO well, Sonic," Sally remarked.  
  
The group, after a brief bought of laughter, walked out of the hotel and headed down the street.  
  
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At the Mystic Ruins, a female orange furred fox was getting ready to lock up the workshop. She brushed back some of her blue and green head fur and put on a pair of sandals...and then jumped in surprise when someone snuck up behind her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.  
  
"Tyreke!!" Teila said, looking angrily towards the male orange furred fox that kissed her. "Don't DO that! You nearly scared the fur off of me!!!"  
  
"Sorry!" Tyreke said, trying to calm Teila down. "Didn't mean to!"  
  
Teial shook her head in disbelief. "I swear...maybe you should have Anthony teach you some restraint with those psi powers of yours."  
  
"Oh, come on..." Tyreke said. "I don't need any training. Heck, they even got us out of some scrapes at times."  
  
"True..." Teila said. Before she could say anything else, a knock could be heard on the door. Teila opened it and saw Mina on the other side.  
  
"Hiya, Tay," Mina said. "Ready to go?"  
  
"Sure are, we just need to lock up," Teila said. She then noticed Tyreke locking the last of the doors. "Eager to please, I see..."  
  
"Well, I had to make up for scaring you earlier," Tyreke said, walking up to the two girls. After the three of them left the workshop, he then extended his paws and said, "So, shall we take the Teleport express?"  
  
"No thanks...we still have plenty of time before we have to meet Lisa," Teila said. "We'll just take the train."  
  
"Alright, I'll meet you girls at the Station Square Station then," Tyreke said. "Later!" He then disappeared as his Teleport kicked in.  
  
Teila shook her head in disbelief and said, "Come on, Mina. Let's get to the train."  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
After a short train ride, Teila and Mina exited the train and then the Station Square Station. As they exited, they discovered something was amiss...  
  
"Hey, where's Tyreke?" Mina asked.  
  
"Ugh...he probably ran off somewhere to do something while he was waiting," Teila said.  
  
"Should we go look for him?" Mina asked.  
  
"We'll have to," Teila said. "He doesn't know where Lisa's studio is. Let's go."  
  
STAGE 4 - Station Square  
CHARACTERS: Mina/Teila  
MUSIC: "Living in the City" (from Sonic R)  
OBJECTIVE: Find Tyreke  
  
The two girls decided to split up and check out the main street. Mina was currently rushing down one portion of it while Teila, drawing upon her abilities, summoned up a windstorm and was flying over another.  
  
"This is nuts..." Teila thought to herself as she landed to recuperate. "Why can't that guy stay put? He's as impatient as Sonic sometimes..."  
  
Mina was thinking the same thing as she ran down another portion of the main street. At one point she heard a voice that made her stop in her tracks...though she crashed into a wall to do so.  
  
"Ouch..." she said to herself as she looked over towards where she heard the voice. She saw Tyreke being forcefully removed from the casino by two of the guards.  
  
"So THAT'S how you've been making money," one of the guards said. "Good thing we put in those new psi detectors...now get out of here, and DON'T come back."  
  
Tyreke brushed himself off and gave an angry look towards the casino. "Yeah, well your blackjack dealers stink, anyway!"  
  
"Tyreke!" Mina yelled as she walked over to him. "I thought you said you were going to wait at the station!"  
  
"Yeah, but I thought I would have some time to get some games in," Tyreke said. At that moment, Teila came up to the two of them.  
  
"I see you found him, Mina..." Teila said, and then looked towards Tyreke. "Now, if you're done fooling around, let's get to Lisa's studio."  
  
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"Come on in, guys...the food's all ready!"  
  
Lisa opened the door wide for the group of heroes that arrived, and then said, "Go ahead and sit down, I'll go see if Kyle and my other guest are ready."  
  
"Another guest?" Sonic said. "Who's here?"  
  
"Well, I have a visitor from an alternate Mobius...and she's staying with me until she can find her own place," Lisa said.  
  
"An alternate Mobius?" Anthony asked. "Are we talking Rift Mobius or Ani-Mobius?"  
  
"Haven't heard of those places..." a voice from the stairs said, and Kyle was seen walking down with Aura. The sight of Aura made Anthony go wide-eyed.  
  
"AURA STARFIRE?!?" Anthony said.  
  
"Don't tell me she's one too..." Lazer said, shaking his head in disbelief.  
  
"One what?" Aura asked. "And...how did you know my name?"  
  
"A SIFF, Aura..." Anthony said, "and, yes she is, Lazer." Anthony then explained what a SIFF was to Aura, and Aura nodded in understanding.  
  
"Didn't realize I was well known on Earth, Anthony..." Aura said.  
  
"Well, the author is a fan of the Fleetway Sonic comic," Anthony remarked, "and apparently her original fics are considered some of the best in terms of STC fics. Though I hear she's doing a rewrite of the series with you."  
  
"Wow! Cool!" Kyle said.  
  
"I suppose I should also say...welcome to Arcadia, Aura..." Anthony continued. "I hope you enjoying staying...what the?" Anthony looked down underneath the table.  
  
"Something wrong, Anthony?" Julie-Su asked.  
  
"Something just brushed past my leg..." Anthony said, and then reached under the table and picked up two Chao...Hogi-San and Ryndar. "Looks like they wanted to say hi. I take it this is Ryndar, Aura?"  
  
"Was he in the fics as well?" Aura asked.  
  
"Well, he looked a little different in the fics, but yes," Anthony said.  
  
"Odd...I only just adopted him this morning..." Aura remarked.  
  
As the group began to talk amongst themselves, a knock was heard on the front door. Lisa answered it and let Mina, Teila, and Tyreke in. Anthony sensed strong psionic ability and looked towards front as the four walked in.  
  
"Whoa...didn't realize you were that powerful, Tyreke..." Anthony remarked. "I assume Mina told you how I know you guys?"  
  
"Even told us what a SIFF is," Teila remarked, and then shook Anthony's hand. "It's an honor to meet you."  
  
"...and that goes double for me," Tyreke said, shaking Anthony's other hand. "DANG!! I can sense your ability! Wouldn't want to get in a mental duel with you!"  
  
"You should see Amy's newfound ability..." Anthony said, smirking a bit.  
  
Lisa then called out to the group. "Okay, guys! Come on into the kitchen and load up your plates!"  
  
The group then began to file into the kitchen, already smelling the wonderful food Lisa had prepared. 


	7. Chapter 6 - Excitement at the Park

Chapter 6 - Excitement at the Park  
  
The entire brunch was enjoyed...both the food and the company. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and Aura was especially enjoying the way all the heroes present were making her feel welcome. While Sally and Mina offered to help Lisa with the dishes, the rest of the group were talking with each other. Aura was explaining where she had come from, and several present listened with great interest. Teila and Kyle were looking at Amy's new armor with great interest as Amy described the armor and her training to them. Anthony and Tyreke were busy comparing each other's psi abilities.  
  
"Amazing..." Tyreke said, "...and all these powers were deep in your subconscious?"  
  
"Yeah...and I'm discovering new powers from time to time," Anthony commented.  
  
After a short while, Lisa, Sally, and Mina rejoined the group and Lisa spoke up. "Well, shall we get going to Twinkle Park?"  
  
"Definitely," Knuckles said.  
  
"Yeah, just as long as there are no two ton killer robots chasing us," Amy commented.  
  
"You already scrapped Zero, Amy," Sonic said. "I doubt he'll be coming back."  
  
"Well, let's stop yapping and go have some fun," Red Sonic said.  
  
Everyone agreed and headed out towards Twinkle Park.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Anthony was surprised that he was seeing Twinkle Park for real. It reminded him of Valleyfair back in his hometown, but then it was an amusement park as well.  
  
"It's too bad that cute couples deal isn't going on," Sally said.  
  
"Hey, we got a deal anyway," Sonic said. "I mean...free tickets because you're friends with the Gamemaster...why Anth still wanted to pay, I'll never know..."  
  
"Blame that honor of mine, Sonic..." Anthony said. "So...where shall we go first?"  
  
"How about...THERE?" Lazer asked, pointing at a large roller coaster. "It's called the 'Sonic Rocket', and it's supposed to be the fastest roller coaster around, even compared to Earth versions."  
  
"Gee, I wonder who it's named after..." Tyreke said, sarcasm in plain view.  
  
"Stifle it, Tyreke," Teila said.  
  
Anthony looked at the Sonic Rocket and winced. "You sure it's not called the 'Stomach Churner'? It's got about 20 loop-di-loops and twists in it. Now I'm wishing I didn't have that big brunch..."  
  
"It looks like fun!" Aura said, then looking at Ryndar, who was wriggling in her arms. "Though it might not be a good idea to bring our Chao on that."  
  
"There's a daycare area right there," Lisa said, pointing at what looked like a Chao playpen. "We can leave them there while we ride the roller coaster."  
  
After dropping Ryndar and Hogi-San off at the daycare, the group all filed into the Sonic Rocket. Various screams of delight and/or fear could be heard as the ride went through every twist and turn. Afterwards, the group could be seen each reacting differently to the ride.  
  
"THAT...was awesome," Red Sonic said.  
  
"You said it," Rebecca said. "I thought I was going to be ill, but that wasn't that bad."  
  
"Um...we can't say the same for those guys..." Lazer said, pointing to Tails, Amy, and Anthony, all of whom were getting violently ill in separate garbage cans.  
  
Aura walked up to Anthony and asked, "Are you alright?"  
  
"One moment..." Anthony said, using a Purge power to relieve him of his nausea. "Okay...I'm fine now..." He then went over to Tails and Amy and used the same power on them.  
  
"Thanks, Anthony..." Amy said.  
  
"Okay, let's find a ride that DOESN'T make us ill..." Anthony said. "Like the Twinkle Circuit. Who wants to race?"  
  
"You have to ASK?!?" Sonic, Red Sonic, and Mina all said at once.  
  
Anthony rolled his eyes. "Figures..."  
  
The group decided to all separate to go do their own things. Aura and Lisa decided to go check on their Chao, and Rouge and Amy joined them. It was then that the four ladies noticed what looked like a GUN soldier accosting the person in charge.  
  
"You will hand over those Chao...NOW!" the soldier said.  
  
"Hey! What's going on?" Rouge said. "Who are you to take other people's Chao? GUN has no such authority."  
  
"None of your business, bat girl..." the soldier said, taking a swing at Rouge, but ending up on the ground instead with a deft judo move from Rouge.  
  
It was then that the group saw another soldier fighting his way into the holding area where the Chao were. Amy activated her armor, rocketed towards the soldier, and knocked him down with a gauntleted punch. Unfortunately, this attack also caused the Chao to scatter.  
  
"No, Hogi-San, come back!" Lisa said, chasing after Hogi-San.  
  
"Ryndar! Stop!" Aura said, chasing after her own Chao.  
  
As the park security came and took care of the GUN soldiers, Rouge and Amy noticed Lisa and Aura ran off. "We'd better help them, Amy," Rouge said.  
  
"I'll help Lisa, you go help Aura," Amy said, and then the two ran after their charges.  
  
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STAGE 5 - Twinkle Park Midway  
CHARACTERS: Amy/Lisa  
MUSIC: Twinkle Park - Pleasure Castle from Sonic Adventure  
OBJECTIVE: Find Hogi-San!  
  
Lisa was running like crazy through the midway, trying to see where Hogi-San went. As Amy joined her, Lisa said, "Do you see him, Amy?"  
  
"I wish...wait, there he is!" Amy said, seeing Hogi-San run towards the Fun House.  
  
Lisa and Amy ran into the Fun House after Hogi-San. After chasing him into the Hall of Mirrors, both girls got themselves lost.  
  
"Oh no...not now..." Lisa said, and then cried out, "HOGI-SAN!"  
  
Amy still had her armor activated and used an internal radar to get her bearings. It was then that she heard a tiny squeaking noise near her. She then noticed a small Chao dressed as Sonic. "There you are, Hogi-San..." Amy said, picking up the small Chao. She then noticed Hogi-San acting scared, and decided to deactivate her armor. "It's okay...it's just me, Hogi-San..."  
  
Hogi-San recognized Amy and immediately nuzzled her. Amy then found Lisa and they made their way through the Fun House.  
  
"What do you suppose that GUN soldier wanted with the Chao" Lisa asked, hugging Hogi-San closely.  
  
"I don't know..." Amy said, worriedly. "We'd better tell the others."  
  
Lisa nodded in agreement, and both of them ran to find the others.  
  
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STAGE 6 - Twinkle Park Concessions Area  
CHARACTERS: Rouge/Aura  
MUSIC: Twinkle Park - Fakery Way from Sonic Adventure  
OBJECTIVE: Find Ryndar!  
  
"RYNDAR!" Aura called out, looking through the crowd worriedly. She then saw Ryndar darting into a group off booths, and ran after him. Rouge saw where Aura and Ryndar went as she glided above the crowds, and followed after them.  
  
Aura then noticed several kids trying to capture Ryndar, and Ryndar acted scared. Aura called out, "That's my Chao, kids! Leave him alone!"  
  
The kids moved off, but Ryndar was still scared and ran off again. Aura chased after him, and noticed Rouge scoop him up and land on the ground.  
  
"Thanks, Rouge," Aura said, taking Ryndar from her and hugging him close, even helping to wipe what appeared to be tears coming from Ryndar's eyes.  
  
"My pleasure," Rouge said, and then scowled. "What is GUN up to? I'm going to have to report this..."  
  
"Let's meet with the others first," Aura said. "They'll probably want to know what happened as well."  
  
Rouge nodded in agreement, and they went to find the others.  
  
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After an exhaustive search, the entire group had gotten back together. Lisa and Aura told them what had happened at the daycare area while Rouge used a nearby pay phone to call her superiors.  
  
"Some vacation THIS is..." Anthony said. "What does GUN want with the Chao?"  
  
"Not sure, Anth..." Red Sonic said. "After that fiasco on the ARK, they've been staying out of the public eye for the most part. Mainly because no one trusts them as much...not even the president!"  
  
"Well, hopefully we'll be able to stop whatever they're..." Knuckles started to say, and then looked skyward. "What the...?  
  
All of them looked where Knuckles was and saw Angel Island coming in close. "The heck?" Julie-Su said. "What is that doing here?"  
  
"We've got something else to worry about guys..." Sonic said. "LOOK!"  
  
Everyone looked where Sonic was, and saw a large GUN vehicle approaching. Anthony recognized the model.  
  
"A Bigfoot?" Anthony said. "The HELL?!?"  
  
"Looks like they mean business..." Sonic said. "Shall we, Anth?"  
  
"Let's do it..." Anthony said, activating his armor and his lightsaber.  
  
BOSS STAGE: F-6T Bigfoot  
CHARACTERS: Sonic/Anthony  
MUSIC: Digimon World 3 battle music  
  
Anthony and Sonic ran up to face the overgrown vehicle, wondering what GUN was up to that required the heavy machinery. The Bigfoot started its attack by floating high and firing missiles down at Sonic and Anthony. The two had to scramble to avoid the attack.  
  
"GEEZ!" Anthony said, and then fired a Force Blast towards the Bigfoot, forcing it to land. Sonic took that as his chance and ran towards it, dodging the gunfire and then sending a Sonic Spin into the cockpit area. As the vehicle reeled, Anthony decided to disable it further with a slash to the legs, causing it to crash to the ground. The pilot barely escaped before the Bigfoot exploded into a mess of sparking metal and oil.  
  
Anthony finally caught up to the pilot and grabbed him by the collar. "What's the big idea? What are you doing here?!?"  
  
The pilot didn't respond, save for biting down on something in his mouth. Anthony took a look inside and found the remains of a cyanide capsule.  
  
"Dammit..." Anthony said, and then noticed the others running towards him, including Rouge. He deactivated his armor and asked, "You guys alright?"  
  
"We're fine," Aura said. "The Chao are a little spooked, but alright."  
  
"I've informed the president what happened," Rouge said. "He's giving us full clearance to check out GUN."  
  
"Can't he just fire them?" Tyreke asked. "I mean..."  
  
"Not that simple," Rouge said. "GUN is no longer, officially, working for South Island. Still...its head said that they will be glad to help with any security needs."  
  
"...though it looks like they have their own agenda now," Ryan said, and then looked towards Angel Island. "And why is Angel Island floating nearby?"  
  
"I'd better check this out," Knuckles said. "Anthony...if you would..."  
  
"Of course..." Anthony said, grabbing Knuckles's arm. The two then disappeared as a Teleport power was activated. 


	8. Chapter 7 - Chao Chaos

Chapter 7 - Chao Chaos  
  
After materializing near the Master Emerald, Anthony and Knuckles noticed that it was glowing brightly and several of the Chaotix were nearby. Vector ran up to the two of them.  
  
"Man, Knux, am I glad you're here..." Vector said.  
  
"What's going on, Vector?" Knuckles asked. "Why is Angel Island flying over South Island?"  
  
"It's Chaos!" Vector said. "He materialized near the Emerald and then began moving the Island!"  
  
"Chaos?!?" Anthony said, gulping. He then looked towards the Emerald and saw the watery form of Chaos appearing to manipulate it.  
  
Knuckles ran over and said, "Chaos! Stop! What are you doing?"  
  
Chaos looked at Knuckles and then looked towards Anthony. He then appeared to concentrate and Anthony felt a twinge inside his mind. Anthony then realized Chaos was trying to communicate with him.  
  
"Protect...the Chao..." Anthony said, mouthing the words he heard Chaos said in his mind. He then turned towards Knuckles. "Knux! He sensed the Chao being attacked and came here to protect them!"  
  
"Why would he...?" Knuckles began to ask.  
  
"I read a fanfiction where the Chao were apparently linked to Chaos," Anthony explained. "Come on, we have to get back to..."  
  
Suddenly...Chaos began to convulse as if angered by something. Knuckles tried to calm him down, and then Anthony received a call over his communicator. "Anth, do you read?" It was Red Sonic.  
  
"Red, what's wrong?" Anthony said back.  
  
"We just checked out the Chao Garden here in Station Square! The place was ransacked! Several Chao were found hurt, and many are missing!"  
  
"That explains why Chaos is acting up now!" Anthony said. "I'll call you back!" Anthony broke the communication and ran towards Knuckles and Chaos.  
  
"Chaos! Calm down!" Knuckles said. Unfortunately his words were of no avail. Chaos pushed Knuckles away and let loose a burst of energy. This energy caused Anthony to fall to the ground, but had another more profound effect...  
  
"The Emeralds!" Knuckles said, pointing. Anthony looked where Knuckles was pointing and noticed seven colored objects rising out of the ground.  
  
"Oh no...last thing we need is Perfect Chaos..." Anthony said, and rushed towards the Emeralds. However, as he approached the Emeralds, another pulse of energy came from Chaos which scattered the Emeralds.  
  
Knuckles finally recovered and sent a punch towards Chaos which knocked him against the Master Emerald. As Chaos turned to face Knuckles, a ghostly figure came out of the Emerald and floated in front of him.  
  
"Calm down, Chaos..." the figure said. Soon, Chaos calmed down and melted into a puddle near the Emerald.  
  
"Thanks, Tikal," Knuckles said, and noticed Anthony approaching. "Anthony, where are the Emeralds?"  
  
Anthony looked over the edge of the island and said, "Scattered over the edge of the island. Sorry, Knux..."  
  
"It's alright...I can find them..." Knuckles said. He then walked over to the Master Emerald, closed his eyes, and concentrated on it. After a while, Knuckles opened his eyes and turned towards Anthony. "They ended up all over South Island, Anthony. I know the locations...but we'll need help finding them all."  
  
"Alright, let's head back then," Anthony said. As the two readied themselves for another Teleport, Anthony noticed Tikal's spirit looking at him with great interest.  
  
"What is she...staring at me for?" Anthony thought to himself. He shook off his suspicions and activated a Teleport power, causing him and Knuckles to vanish. 


	9. Chapter 8 - Chaos Race

Chapter 8 - Chaos Race  
  
(A/N: Title is a nod to Adrian Tymes. You'll see why.)  
  
The entire group gathered inside the Freedom Fighter base and made plans to recover the Chaos Emeralds. Of course, not everyone present were wondering about that...  
  
"Um, excuse me..." Lazer said. "I'm confused...I know how important the Emeralds are...but shouldn't we be focusing on what GUN is up to?"  
  
"We are," Knuckles said. "The Servers were scattered throughout South Island as the result of GUN's attack on the Chao."  
  
"Not only that," Rouge added, "but GUN had shown an interest in the Emeralds before. They had actually hired me to find out about them. No doubt they saw the Emeralds descending as well and will probably want to get their hands on them."  
  
"Well, they won't get their hands on this..." Teila said, pulling out a cyan Emerald from the pocket of her jeans. "Only I can hold this Emerald."  
  
Anthony looked at the Emerald with interest. "Oh yeah...that thing. I read about that in a fanfiction."  
  
"We'll need as much help as possible to find the Emeralds," Sonic said. "Who wants in?"  
  
Fifteen hands/paws shot into the air. Red Sonic was surprised to see Lisa, Teila, and Aura want in. "Why do you want to help, ladies? I mean...you weren't Freedom Fighters at any time."  
  
"True...and I'm sure I speak for Lisa and Aura as well," Teila explained, "but we still want to help. Especially after what they almost did to Hogi-San and Ryndar."  
  
"That's right," Lisa said, "but someone should still stay behind and watch our Chao...as well as Kyle. If GUN tries to get Hogi-San again, they may try to hurt Kyle in the process."  
  
Anthony nodded and looked towards Tyreke. "Tyreke, you should watch them."  
  
"Why me?" Tyreke said.  
  
"Well...your psi abilities aren't as powerful as mine, but they can still be used to protect them," Anthony explained. "Besides, if I stay behind, it might look there was something very important to protect where they are, and GUN might attack as a result."  
  
"Good point," Tyreke said, "and thanks for the vote of confidence!"  
  
"No problem," Anthony said.  
  
"Sally and I will stay behind as well," Rebecca said.  
  
"Alright, then," Anthony said. "Now...where did the Emeralds land, Knux?"  
  
"Seven different locations," Knuckles said. "In the Master Emerald I saw them land in the Ice Cap, Windy Valley, Red Mountain, Pyramid Cave, Pumpkin Hill, White Jungle, and Green Hill."  
  
"The HELL?!? That sounds like a who's who of Sonic game locations," Anthony said, and then said. "Wait...Green Hill?!? Okay...I want to check out that area."  
  
"Why? What's so important about Green Hill?" Amy asked.  
  
Anthony smirked and said, "Sonic One...first stage."  
  
"Figures..." Tails said.  
  
"Alright...well, we know where Anth wants to go," Red Sonic said. "Let's pair up for the remaining areas..."  
  
The group quickly paired up and chose locations...  
  
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STAGE 7 - Ice Cap  
CHARACTERS: Sonic/Red Sonic  
MUSIC: Ice Cap from Sonic 3  
OBJECTIVE: Get the dark blue Chaos Emerald  
  
The snow was near blinding as both Sonics looked down the imposing slope of Ice Cap. Still, both of them knew they had to head down the slope in order to get to the Emerald.  
  
"Yeesh...why this place stays cold despite the seasons is beyond me," Red Sonic said.  
  
"We can debate it later, RS," Sonic said, getting a couple of snowboards from a rental kiosk near where they were. "Let's get that Emerald!"  
  
Both of them strapped into the snowboards they got and headed down the slope at top speed. It was then that they noticed something else...  
  
"GUN Beetles?!?" Sonic said.  
  
"Blast it...they are after the Emeralds," Red Sonic said. "Let's take them out!"  
  
The two Sonics leaped off their boards and started Sonic Spinning into every Beetle in sight. Eventually they reached the bottom of the slope and found Hunter series robots heading towards a shining object in the snow.  
  
Red Sonic rushed forward and blasted through two of the Hunters while Sonic Sonic Spinned the remaining ones. Sonic then rushed over to the Emerald and picked it up.  
  
"Nice work, Blue..." Red Sonic said, and then took a quick look around. "Looks like that was the last of their troops."  
  
"I hope so..." Sonic said. "Come on, let's get to the rendezvous at Tails's workshop."  
  
Both Sonics then rushed back up the slope to make their meeting.  
  
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STAGE 8 - Windy Valley  
CHARACTERS: Tails/Teila  
MUSIC: Windy Hill from Sonic Adventure 1  
OBJECTIVE: Find the green Chaos Emerald  
  
True to the location's name, Windy Valley was just that...windy. The wind caused Tails's and Teila's tails to flap backwards, and both were looking around at their surroundings for the Emerald.  
  
"I don't see it anywhere, Teila," Tails said.  
  
"Neither do I," Teila said, and then furrowed her brow as she thought of something. "I wonder..."  
  
"What is it, Tay?" Tails said.  
  
Teila said nothing and pulled her cyan Emerald from her pocket. She then concentrated on it and, after a while, looked of to one side.  
  
"Over there," Teila said. "My Emerald is drawn towards it."  
  
"Cool! Let's get going," Tails said.  
  
Both foxes ran towards where Teila had indicated. Unfortunately, they also ran into several Hunter series robots.  
  
"Figures..." Teila said, and her eyes began to change color.  
  
"Let's get them, Tay," Tails said, and led the attack by drawing upon his Descendancy Powers, causing the Magi's Wand to materialize.  
  
Both foxes fired lightning bolts at the bots, causing them to fall to the ground as mounds of sparking metal. As they continued, they ran into another obstacle.  
  
"The bridge is out!" Teila said.  
  
"Hang on, Tay," Tails said. He then grabbed Teila's paws and flew over the gap, setting her down with a slight thump.  
  
"Man...you have GOT to lay off the pineapple sodas, Tay..." Tails said.  
  
"Oh, leave me alone!" Teila said.  
  
The two then continued and noticed the Emerald lying on the ground. Tails ran forward and grabbed it.  
  
"Whew...got it..." Tails said.  
  
"Let's get back to the others," Teila said. "By the way...why did you suggest meeting at your workshop?"  
  
"To keep the Chao safe," Tails remarked. "Besides...I was planning on tooling around with something while I visited South Island."  
  
"Alright...let's get to the others then," Teila said, and the two headed back the way they came.  
  
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STAGE 9 - Red Mountain  
CHARACTERS: Knuckles/Lazer  
MUSIC: Red Mountain from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Find the red Chaos Emerald  
  
"I'm surprised we don't blend into this place, Knux," Lazer remarked as the two looked at the imposing slopes of Red Mountain. True to it's name as well, the mountain was covered with reddish earth and almost looked like it could have been a volcano.  
  
"Espio would complain about stealing his schtick," Knuckles commented. He then looked towards the peak of the mountain. "The Emerald is near the peak. I can sense it's presence."  
  
"So can I," Lazer said. "Mainly because I got five of those red ones in me."  
  
"Yeah...but those are just common Emeralds, this is one of the Servers," Knuckles said. "Let's go."  
  
The two climbed up the side of the mountain towards where they sensed the Emerald. As they climbed up, two shots impacted near their location, and the two of them looked to see three Hornet class bots closing in on them.  
  
"I'll get these guys, Knux. You get the Emerald," Lazer said. Lazer then glowed with a fiery red color and flew towards the Hornets. He then smashed through all three and they fell to the ground.  
  
"Nice work, Lazer!" Knuckles said. He then noticed three Beetles coming up behind Lazer. "BEHIND YOU!"  
  
Lazer noticed the Beetles and fired a fiery blast towards them, causing them to explode. He then rejoined Knuckles as they continued the climb.  
  
"Here..." Knuckles said, noticing an impact hole where the Emerald dug into the mountain. "This won't be a minute..." Knuckles then dug into the ground quickly and extracted the Emerald.  
  
"Pay dirt..." Lazer said, "LITERALLY!"  
  
"Let's get out of here..." Knuckles said, and the two climbed down the mountain.  
  
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STAGE 10 - Pyramid Cave  
CHARACTERS: Julie-Su/Bat  
MUSIC: Pyramid Cave from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Find the yellow Chaos Emerald  
  
Julie-Su and Ryan walked deep into the depths of the pyramid, looking around at the ancient symbols etched on the walls and the imposing stone surroundings. It gave Julie-Su the creeps somewhat.  
  
"As brave as I am, this place is creepy," Julie-Su said.  
  
"I don't blame you...this place WAS originally built as a tomb," Ryan said.  
  
"I still can't believe the Emerald dug itself down into these caves," Julie-Su said.  
  
"We can debate how later," Ryan commented, readying his sidearm. "Let's get moving."  
  
Julie-Su nodded, readying her own laser pistol, and the two walked deeper into the caves. They kept a close eye on the surroundings, keeping an eye out for traps and enemies. As it turned out, they didn't have far to go before trouble hit.  
  
"Oh, GREAT!" Ryan said, noticing three Rhino series approaching them. "How the heck did they get those tanks down here?!?"  
  
"Let's ask later," Julie-Su said, firing a couple shots which caused one of the Rhinos to explode. Ryan followed it up by throwing a LAM or Lightweight Attack Munition at the other two, which exploded and destroyed the other two. The explosion also caused some stone dust to fall in the area.  
  
"Better lay off the explosives, Ryan," Julie-Su said.  
  
"Good idea..." Ryan said, and then the two ventured further into the caves. Finally, they found the Emerald impacted into a pedestal. "Excellent...we found it!"  
  
As they approached the Emerald, five Hunters appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on them, causing them to scramble for cover. One of the Hunters headed for the Emerald as the Hunters fired a steady stream of fire towards the two echidnas' position.  
  
Julie-Su managed to hit one of them with a shot...but still had to scramble for cover afterwards. "This is nuts...we have to do something!"  
  
"How about...this?" Ryan said, and then threw a LAM up on the ceiling of the room, causing stone to rain down on the bots, including the one that grabbed the Emerald. The Emerald rolled towards the two of them and Julie-Su scooped it up.  
  
"Let's get out of here before we're buried like those bots!" Julie-Su said. Ryan nodded and the two beat a hasty retreat out of the chamber as the room collapsed in on itself. They made it just as the rock collapsed not two centimeters behind them.  
  
"Whew...that was close..." Ryan said, and then found himself face to face with Julie-Su, who had picked him up by the collar.  
  
"I THOUGHT I said lay off the explosives!!" Julie-Su said.  
  
Ryan grabbed Julie-Su's hand and twisted it the other way. A soft crunching sound is herd as Julie-Su is hunched over moaning in pain as Ryan held her arm behind her back.  
  
"Hey! We got away from those fuckers!" Ryan yelled back angrily. He smiled and picked up Julie-Su, letting her go. "Besides, you have to admit that was fur pissing exciting!"  
  
Julie-Su said nothing but shoved Ryan on his butt and muttered, "Men..."  
  
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STAGE 11 - Pumpkin Hill  
CHARACTERS: Rouge/Lisa  
MUSIC: Pumpkin Hill from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Get the purple Chaos Emerald  
  
"This place gives me the creeps, Rouge," Lisa said as she followed Rouge onto the grounds of Pumpkin Hill.  
  
"I hate to admit it...but me too," Rouge said. As Lisa walked over to check out one area, Rouge noticed something. "Lisa? What's that bulge on the back of your sweater?"  
  
Lisa turned around quickly and said, "Oh...it's...it's nothing..."  
  
"Lisa...you can't hide them from me, since I have them too," Rouge said, flapping her wings. "You have wings, don't you?"  
  
Lisa sighed and removed her sweater, revealing a T-shirt underneath and a pair of dragon-like wings on her back. "Yes...but I'm not too proud of them. You see...they're evidence of possible evil in my bloodline."  
  
"Oh, come on," Rouge said. "Just because you have wings doesn't mean you're evil." She then noticed the snide look Lisa was giving her and said, "Okay, granted I tried to steal the Master Emerald, but I came around. Besides...I might be able to show you how to use those wings..."  
  
"I've tried both gliding and flying, Rouge," Lisa said. "No good. They're too small for my body."  
  
"Oh well...we can debate that later," Rouge said, then looking off to one direction. "Come on...I can sense where the Emerald is."  
  
The two ran over towards where Rouge sensed the Emerald. Suddenly, the two had to duck for cover as three Hunter series opened fire on them. Rouge then got into position and dashed forward, sending the Hunters to the ground in pieces with several well placed kicks.  
  
The two of them then saw several Beetle series coming down on them, and Rouge ended up taking a shot to her side from one of them, causing her to collapse. As the Beetles closed in, they were soon destroyed by a fireball that seemed to come from nowhere. Rouge looked to the source, and saw Lisa standing there, paw still glowing from the magic she used.  
  
"That's the other reason I think I may have evil in my blood," Lisa said.  
  
"Tails's magic is just as destructive, Lisa, and he's not even CLOSE to evil," Rouge said, getting up and then digging the toe of her boot in the dirt. She managed to unearth a large purple gem, namely the Chaos Emerald.  
  
"Bingo," Rouge said, picking up the Chaos Emerald and pocketing it. "Let's rejoin the others."  
  
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STAGE 12 - White Jungle  
CHARACTERS: Mina/Aura  
MUSIC: White Jungle from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Get the white Chaos Emerald  
  
The trees seemed to blanket the entire area as Mina and Aura entered the area. Aura seemed to be intoxicated by the beauty of the area.  
  
"I wish my Mobius was like this..." Aura said.  
  
"Ours wasn't any better for a while, Aura," Mina said. "Until Arcadia was reformed, that is. The other worlds helped bring Robotnik down, and are now helping rebuild."  
  
"So I've heard," Aura said. "How are we going to find the Emerald in this area?"  
  
"Simple...looks like we follow them," Mina said, pointing to a bunch of Hornet series bots that were flying overhead.  
  
The two of them followed the Hornets to where they saw several Hunters and Hornets were surrounding the white Emerald. They stayed hidden until they surveyed the situation.  
  
"Any ideas?" Aura asked quietly.  
  
"Just one...get ready to grab the Emerald..." Mina said.  
  
"Why? What are...?" Aura began to say, but couldn't as Mina ran out.  
  
"HEY! LASER LIPS! I GOT ANOTHER EMERALD! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!" Mina yelled, and then ran off with several Hornets and Hunters following her.  
  
Aura shook her head in disbelief and looked towards where two Hunters stayed behind to guard the emerald. Aura decided to handle the situation swiftly, and raised her paws towards the Hunters. They began to glow, and then two lightning bolts shot out and scrapped the Hunters.  
  
"Well...that was easy..." Aura said, and picked up the Emerald. After she did so, Mina walked up to her.  
  
"What happened to the robots that were chasing you?" Aura asked.  
  
Mina picked what looked like a gear from her purple head fur and said, "I...uh...used the Hunters' own blasters to ace the Hornets and led the Hunters towards a cliff."  
  
"Nice work," Aura said, showing Mina the Emerald. "Well...we have what we came for, so let's get out of here."  
  
"I agree," Mina said. "Let's get to Tails's workshop."  
  
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STAGE 13 - Green Hill  
CHARACTERS: Amy/Anthony  
MUSIC: Green Hill Remix from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Get the sky blue Chaos Emerald  
  
Anthony was surprised at the look of Green Hill. Just like in the first game, there were loops at various points in the landscape. This left him somewhat surprised...  
  
"The HELL?!? There are actually loops at this place?" Anthony asked.  
  
"Yeah," Amy explained. "They're natural rock formations, actually. Sonic told me he enjoyed running through them."  
  
"I can see why..." Anthony said, and then activated his armor. "Now, let's see if we can locate the Emerald." He activated the sensors within his armor and an image appeared on his visor.  
  
"There," Anthony said, pointing towards the horizon. "The Emerald is about 100 yards that way...and it looks like we have some Hunters, Rhinos, and Beetles to take care of en route."  
  
"Then, let's get moving..." Amy said, activating her own armor and then giving Anthony an interesting look. "Wanna race?"  
  
"No, Ames...I just want to get through this without fragging myself," Anthony said. "Lets do this..."  
  
Both Anthony and Amy activated the rockets on the back of their armors to accelerate forward, and activated their lightsabers as two Rhinos approached. The Rhinos were soon rendered scrap.  
  
Soon the two of them came up on a batch of Hunters, and Anthony had to raise a Force Barrier to block the oncoming shots from them. Amy then returned fire with the blaster on her left arm, and the Hunters were next to fall. Several Beetles that flew in were also downed by her blaster.  
  
"Nice work, Ames..." Anthony said, as the two ran up to where the Emerald was kept. As Amy started to walk up to it, she noticed Anthony looking back on the scrapped bots.  
  
"Anthony? Are you alright?" Amy said, deactivating her armor.  
  
Anthony deactivated his own armor and continued to survey the destruction. He appeared to have a saddened look on his face. Amy walked up to him and asked, "Anthony?"  
  
"Is this all I'm good for, Ames?" Anthony said, almost whispering. "Fighting? I came here to try to escape from all this..."  
  
"Hey...it couldn't be helped," Amy said. "Let's just get the Emerald and head back."  
  
Anthony nodded in agreement and walked up to the Emerald. As he picked it up, the Emerald began to glow brightly, and Anthony could swear he heard an etherial voice say, "You are the one..."  
  
"GYAH!!!" Anthony said, and immediately dropped the Emerald. "What the HELL?!?"  
  
Amy, warily, picked up the Emerald next, and nothing happened. "Anthony, what happened?"  
  
"I don't know...and I swear I heard some voice say, 'You are the one'," Anthony explained. "What the heck is going on?"  
  
"Maybe Knuckles will know," Amy said. "Let's get to Tails's workshop."  
  
Anthony agreed and grabbed Amy's paw. He then activated a Teleport power and the two disappeared from sight. 


	10. Chapter 9 - A Gathering of Forces

Chapter 9 - A Gathering of Forces  
  
"Tails, what ARE you working on in there?"  
  
The group, save for Anthony and Amy, had already gathered at Tails's workshop to regroup. Teila's question seemed to mirror the thoughts of all present, as Tails had gone into another part of his workshop and sounds of loud tooling and metalworking could be heard.  
  
"Just something I wanted to work on after Anthony first came to Arcadia," Tails answered. "In fact...I'm almost finished...no strike that..." A few squeaks could be heard as Tails put in the last connections. "I AM finished!"  
  
"Way past!" Sonic said. "Now we just have to wait for..."  
  
As soon as Sonic started to say that, a bright flash could be seen outside, and then Anthony and Amy walked into the building.  
  
"You were saying, Sonic?" Lazer said.  
  
"Hey guys! Mission accomplished!" Amy said, placing the sky blue Emerald with the rest, and then looked around. "Where are Aura and Lisa?"  
  
"Back checking on their Chao," Red Sonic said. It was then that he noticed Anthony looking warily at the Chaos Emeralds. "Um...what's wrong with HIM?"  
  
All eyes present looked at Anthony as he stared at the Emeralds. Knuckles then spoke up. "Anthony? What is it?"  
  
"Knux...something weird happened..." Anthony said. "When I grabbed the sky blue Emerald, it glowed brightly and I heard some voice say 'You are the one'. Why did it do that?"  
  
"Did the voice sound like Tikal?" Knuckles asked.  
  
"No...it was different...and more mysterious sounding..." Anthony said.  
  
Knuckles and Rouge looked at each other and Knuckles furrowed his brow. "Weird...first time I've ever heard of this happening..."  
  
"We can debate it later," Ryan said. "We'd better get these Emeralds to a safe place...like back to Angel Island."  
  
"Probably not a good idea right now," Rouge said. "If GUN is after them, that will be the first place they'll look."  
  
It was at that moment that Tails walked into the room. Oil could still be seen staining several parts of his fur as he put his gloves back on. "What are you guys talking about?"  
  
"Something happened to Anth when he grabbed one of the Emeralds," Lazer said.  
  
"Oh..." Tails said in response. "Well, Anthony, I'm glad you're here, I have something to show you."  
  
"It will have to wait, Tails," Anthony said. "We need to find a safe place for the Servers for the time being...and our best bet might be the base under the hotel."  
  
"Good idea," Red Sonic said.  
  
"Aura and I will go get the others and meet you there," Lisa said.  
  
Knuckles and Rouge gathered up the Emeralds and Knuckles said, "Let's get moving then..."  
  
The others nodded in agreement and they all headed towards the train station.  
  
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After they had all arrived at Station Square, they found the place in utter chaos. Several people were running for cover as several armored GUN units were going through the streets. Anthony noticed Tyreke, Rebecca, Sally, and Kyle running towards them. Kyle was holding Ryndar and Hogi-San.  
  
"What's happening?!?" Aura asked.  
  
"GUN has lost it!" Tyreke said. "They're threatening to destroy the entire city unless we hand over the Emeralds!"  
  
"Like HELL we're going to let them do that!" Lazer said, and then noticed a regiment of Hunters coming towards them. "Looks like it's time for battle!"  
  
"Better get ready then," Amy said. "Armor ACT..." But before she could finish, a large blast impacted near her and knocked her to the ground.  
  
"AMY!!!" Anthony said, and then looked angrily towards the army. He then yelled "BASTARDS!!!" and sent a powerful Force Blast towards them which decimated a large group of the Hunters.  
  
As Lisa, Aura, and Rebecca got the Chao and Kyle to safety, the rest of the group began fighting with the troops. All except for Anthony...  
  
Anthony was still looking at the troops he scrapped, and then at the destruction that was being caused. He stared blankly at them and then collapsed to his knees. Amy, after recovering, noticed this and asked, "Anthony, what's wrong?"  
  
Anthony grasped his head in his hands and said, somewhat to himself, "No more...God, make it stop..."  
  
"Anthony, SNAP OUT OF IT!!!" Tyreke said as he managed to rip the head off one of the Hunters.  
  
Anthony didn't listen as he continued to kneel on the ground, trembling in fear. Amy stayed by his side and tried to calm him down.  
  
As the fight continued, another problem appeared. It was a large battle walker vehicle similar to the Bigfoot, but much larger.  
  
"Oh, GREAT!!! Like we need this!" Rouge said.  
  
"What IS that thing?!?" Lazer asked.  
  
"Looks like they brought out the Juggernaut prototype," Rouge said, getting ready for an attack.  
  
"Well, I see it as just another target," Ryan said, readying his weapons and noticing Knuckles stand next to him. "Shall we take this guy out?"  
  
"Let's do it..." Knuckles said, as he and Ryan rushed towards the Juggernaut.  
  
BOSS STAGE: F-25L Juggernaut  
CHARACTERS: Knuckles/Bat  
MUSIC: Digimon World 3 battle music  
  
As imposing as the Juggernaut was, Knuckles and Ryan were not afraid as they stepped up to face it. The Juggernaut started by hovering and converting to a hoverjet mode and fired several shots in machine gun fashion towards the two furries. Both of them had to scramble to get out of the way, Ryan actually performing several backflips to dodge and then firing several shots towards the Juggernaut with his sidearm. When those shots failed to penetrate, he threw a LAM like a grenade towards the Juggernaut, impacting one of the gun turrets and forcing the Juggernaut to land.  
  
When the Juggernaut landed, Knuckles took this as his cue and glided towards the cockpit of the vehicle. He then punched through the glass to get the pilot, but the pilot caused the body of the shake back and forth and Knuckles had to hang on tight to avoid being thrown off. Finally, he punched through the metal of the cockpit, knocking out the controls and causing the Juggernaut to stop moving and start to collapse. Ryan scrambled for cover as Knuckles pulled the pilot out of the vehicle and glided to safety before it exploded.  
  
"What the HELL is your problem?" Knuckles yelled, speaking at the pilot. The pilot said nothing...mainly because, as Ryan pointed out upon reaching Knuckles's location, that the pilot was dead from another cyanide capsule.  
  
The rest of the troops were soon routed, and the others regrouped around where Amy was still trying to comfort a very frazzled Anthony. No one present could understand what was going on.  
  
"Amy, what's wrong with him?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"I don't know..." Amy said, looking worriedly at Anthony. "During the entire battle he just kept saying, 'No more...'."  
  
Upon saying that, Anthony finally calmed down and looked up towards the group asking, "Is it over?"  
  
"Yeah, it's over, bud," Sonic said. "Anth...what happened?"  
  
"I'm sorry..." Anthony said, still trying to calm down somewhat. "It's just...the sight of all the destruction...the fact I caused some of it...I came here to avoid that..."  
  
"Hey, we understand," Lazer said, walking up. "Once we get back to the old base, we can calm down. I can even help you with meditation if needed."  
  
"Thanks, Lazer, I'd appreciate that..." Anthony said.  
  
It was at that moment that Tyreke ran up to the rest of the group. Teila was following close behind and trying to get Tyreke to calm down.  
  
"What the HELL happened?!?" Tyreke asked. "We're fighting for our lives out there, and the guy who did the most good freaks out right before the fight really begins!"  
  
"Leave him ALONE, Tyreke!" Amy said. "He was just overwhelmed when he got out of control for a while..."  
  
"Out of control?!?" Tyreke said. "What are you TALKING about?!? He took out several troops there and just stopped!"  
  
"Tyreke!" Teila said, trying to stop Tyreke's tirade.  
  
"I mean...this guy's supposed to be the big hero of Arcadia, and he freaks out in the middle of a battle!" Tyreke continued, not listening.  
  
"Tyreke, shut UP!" Teila said, even louder.  
  
However, Tyreke's words had their effect and Anthony jumped up and looked straight at Tyreke. "Well, I didn't WANT to be the big hero, OKAY?!? I only got into this nonsense to help reunite Arcadia and to help free Mobius...and I've been fighting ever since!!! I am SICK of fighting...I am SICK of seeing people get hurt..." He then pulled off his armor and threw it to the ground. "...and now that I can't make a mistake without getting dumped on, I am SICK of being the Gamemaster as well!!!"  
  
"Anth, no!" Sonic said. "You can't...!"  
  
"YES, I CAN!!!" Anthony said, yelling at Sonic and causing the rest of the group to recoil in shock. "In fact, I'm telling Jenna and Lars to chose which of them can be the next Gamemaster, because I've had enough!!!"  
  
"Anthony, please..." Aura said.  
  
"Anthony, don't do this," Knuckles said, walking up to Anthony. "Let's get back to..."  
  
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" Anthony yelled, and then disappeared as a Teleport power kicked in.  
  
"NO!" Amy said, watching in horror as Anthony disappeared.  
  
All eyes then looked at Tyreke angrily, and Tyreke began to stammer in shock. "I...I didn't want him to do that...I was just..."  
  
"...being a JERK as usual!" Telia said, walking up to Tyreke and looking him straight in the eyes. "Dammit, Tyreke! Anthony was here to try to get away from the fighting because he was close to a nervous breakdown...and you just HAD to open your big mouth and speed up the breakdown!"  
  
"I didn't mean to..." Tyreke said. "Look...let me find him...it's the least I can do to help..."  
  
"I think you've done ENOUGH, Tyreke..." Sally said.  
  
"Besides, I can follow his psi trail," Amy said. "I'll go look for him." With that, Amy drew upon the Descendancy Powers, causing the Armor of the Gamemaster to appear on her, and she used a Teleport power of her own, following Anthony by focusing on a Past Sight power.  
  
"We'd better get the Chaos Emeralds to the HQ," Red Sonic said, as Ryan and Lazer picked up the parts of Anthony's armor.  
  
"Yeah," Teila said, and then looked towards Tyreke. "Wait for me at the workshop, Tyreke. We'll talk about this LATER!" She then joined the others as they headed towards the hotel.  
  
Tyreke looked down towards the ground, feeling rotten about what he did. He then realized what he needed to do...  
  
"Sorry guys...but if I don't find a way to make things right, I'll feel even worse," he said to himself. He then concentrated on the area and sensed what he figured was great sorrow.  
  
"So...that's where he went..." Tyreke said, and then used a Teleport power of his own. 


	11. Chapter 10 - Facing the Darkness

Chapter 10 - Facing the Darkness  
  
The bar appeared to be empty, save for two individuals. One was the bartender, who was busy filling up a tall glass of beer. The other was a person who was slumped on the counter, and who was awaiting that glass...his third one that he ordered.  
  
Anthony paid the bartender for the drink and let the amber liquid pass through his lips. As he finished his sip, he heard a familiar voice call from outside the bar.  
  
"Anthony!"  
  
Amy ran into the bar, despite the bartender's insistence that no kids were allowed, and ran up to Anthony. "Anthony...thank the Goddess I found you..."  
  
Anthony did nothing but give Amy a quick glance and then turn back towards his drink. Amy saw a distressed look on his face, and then said, "Anthony...don't do this. You've done a lot for Arcadia, and..."  
  
"...it's never enough, Amy," Anthony said. "Even when I try to relax, some new problem comes up...and more people get hurt as a result...either because of the enemy or because of me."  
  
"It's not your fault, Anthony," Amy said, placing a paw on Anthony's hand. "That battle was unavoidable..."  
  
"...and yet, I caused just as much destruction as they did when they almost hurt you, Ames," Anthony said, still looking deep into his drink. "If I can't help people without causing just as much destruction...I have no right helping at all. I've become just as bad as Robotnik..."  
  
"No, you HAVEN'T!" Amy said.  
  
"She's right..." a voice said from behind them. Amy and Anthony turned and saw Tyreke walking in.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Amy said, with a bit of anger in her voice.  
  
"I came to apologize to the Gamemaster," Tyreke said.  
  
"Don't call me that, Tyreke..." Anthony said. "I don't deserve that title..."  
  
"Bull..." Tyreke said, taking the other seat next to Anthony opposite where Amy seated herself. "You deserve it. I was wrong to come down on you like I did. I guess...seeing you react like you did was shocking to me." He then looked straight at Anthony and said, "Besides, if you want any more proof...think of all the good you've done, and what would have happened if you didn't help."  
  
"Yeah..." Amy said, going along with what Tyreke was saying. "I mean...I'd probably be a robot working in one of Robotnik's factories if you hadn't saved me..." When she saw Anthony shudder a bit at that image, she squeezed Anthony's hand to comfort him and said, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..."  
  
"It's alright, Ames..." Anthony said, and then turned towards Tyreke. "You're right, Tyreke...and I'm glad I was able to help with that. It's just..."  
  
"...you've seen too much pain and it's finally got to you," Tyreke said. "Hey...I don't blame you. After all that's happened on Mobius, I've been worried sick concerning what would happen to Tay."  
  
"So, why did you come down on him when he freaked out during the battle, Tyreke?" Amy asked, with another hint of anger in her voice.  
  
"Look...I didn't mean that..." Tyreke said. "It's just that I didn't think it was like him to freak out like that..."  
  
Anthony suddenly looked up as if he realized something. "Not like me..."  
  
Amy looked at Anthony and asked, "What was that, Anthony?"  
  
Anthony quickly threw out a handful of Mobiums to pay for his drinks and then said, "I need to get back to the hotel. There's something I need to do." As he got up, he soon stumbled a bit and needed to be caught by Amy and Tyreke.  
  
"I don't think you're in any condition to go anywhere by yourself," Tyreke said.  
  
"Yeah...I always was a lightweight, even in college..." Anthony said. "Tyreke, Amy...a Teleport if you would..."  
  
Amy drew upon her Descendancy Powers and both her and Tyreke used Teleport to teleport them to the hotel.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Where did you find him?" Sally asked.  
  
The entire group had gathered in the main room of the hotel as Tyreke and Amy helped Anthony to his room. Aura and Lisa were tending to their Chao while Tails and Kyle were busy playing their Gameboy Advances.  
  
"He was getting drunk at a bar," Tyreke explained, as he walked back out. "I think Ames and I turned him around though..."  
  
"...even though we told you NOT to interfere?" Rebecca said, looking at Tyreke.  
  
"Hey...if I didn't try to make things right, I would've felt worse than I was already," Tyreke said.  
  
"Besides..." Amy said as she walked out, "he was really helpful in calming Anthony down."  
  
"How is Anthony doing?" Lazer asked.  
  
"Resting right now," Amy said. "He says he needs to prepare himself for something."  
  
"Did he say what?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"No...he didn't," Amy said.  
  
"Maybe he'll tell us when he's ready," Ryan said.  
  
"In the meantime, let's get these Emeralds to safety downstairs," Knuckles said, holding one of the Emeralds.  
  
"Aura, Lisa...you may want to bring your Chao down with us as well," Mina remarked.  
  
"Alright," Aura said, picking up Ryndar.  
  
The group all filed into the secret elevator, save for Tyreke, Amy, and Teila who decided to stay behind to watch Anthony. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Teila turned towards Tyreke and said, "I...guess I owe you an apology..."  
  
"No, you don't, Tay..." Tyreke said. "I think I had it coming...considering what a pain in the neck I've been in the past. I may even have to apologize to that two-tailed friend of yours."  
  
"Well, you had no right to be jealous, we were just friends," Teila said. "Even though he did have a small crush on me..."  
  
Amy looked at Teila wide-eyed. "You KNEW?!?"  
  
"It was obvious, Ames!" Teila said, giggling a little. "He didn't exactly hide that fact too well..."  
  
Amy giggled as well, and then all three looked up when they saw Anthony enter the room. "Anthony, are you alright?" Amy asked.  
  
"Yeah...and I'm going to need your help, Ames," Anthony said, and then turned towards Teila and Tyreke. "Guys...I'm going to need Amy's help in doing some psionic manipulation. Whatever you do...don't disturb us under any circumstances."  
  
"Alright, Anthony," Tyreke said. "We'll tell the others if they come back up."  
  
Anthony nodded in understanding and then he and Amy entered the bedroom.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Anthony, what's going on?" Amy asked as soon as they entered the bedroom.  
  
"Amy...Tyreke told me something that made me realize something may be wrong with me," Anthony explained. "I need to enter Relm to see if I'm right."  
  
"And...you want me to mind link and enter with you," Amy said.  
  
"Yes, since I may need your help in there," Anthony said. He then laid back in the bed and Amy sat in a chair next to the bed and held on to Anthony's hand. "Are you ready, Ames?"  
  
"Yes..." Amy said, grasping Anthony's hand tighter.  
  
Anthony then began to concentrate, and closed his eyes as if he was going to sleep. Amy soon slumped down in her chair, still holding tightly onto Anthony's hand, and became unconscious as well.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
STAGE 14 - Relm  
CHARACTERS: Amy/Anthony  
MUSIC: "T.N.T. for the Brain" by Enigma  
OBJECTIVE: ?????  
  
Amy and Anthony looked at the surrealistic landscape of Relm, the world that existed inside the mind of Anthony. To Amy, it seemed a bit more peaceful since she had last visited...since her last visit involved helping Anthony fight the Dark Gamemaster persona within him.  
  
"What are you looking for here?" Amy asked.  
  
Anthony looked towards the horizon of the area, almost as if he sensed something in that direction. "There...it's over there..."  
  
"What is?" Amy asked.  
  
"You'll see when we get there, Ames," Anthony said. "Come on."  
  
Amy and Anthony ran towards where Anthony sensed something. The trip was made easier by the use of Anthony's flying ability...an ability he had only in Relm.  
  
Eventually, they reached an area where they saw a figure apparently waiting. Amy, at first, thought it was Jaben, Relm's caretaker. But when they got closer, she gasped as she recognized who it was.  
  
"No...it can't be...the Dark Gamemaster?!?" Amy said.  
  
The figure, now recognized as the Dark Gamemaster, essentially the representative of the dark portion of Anthony's personality, turned around and faced the two of them. Unlike before, however, he was not readying himself to fight.  
  
"Ah...you've finally come," the Dark Gamemaster said.  
  
"I figured I'd have to face you again..." Anthony said, forming a sword from pure thought.  
  
"Anthony, I thought you already destroyed him," Amy said.  
  
"Then how did Crazy Hand create a flesh and blood duplicate afterwards?" Anthony asked. "He was still inside me...influencing me in certain regards."  
  
"...and so you've come to finish the job," the Dark Gamemaster said. "Then let us begin..." The Dark Gamemaster then created his own sword and readied himself to fight.  
  
"Amy..." Anthony said, getting Amy's attention. "I'll need your help this time to fight him."  
  
"What should I do?" Amy asked.  
  
"Concentrate your willpower on fighting him," Anthony said. "You'll see what happens."  
  
Amy did so, focusing her attention on the Dark Gamemaster. Suddenly, a pillar of light engulfed the two of them. Amy felt herself changing, and when she looked down at herself, she noticed something unreal...  
  
"Anthony...I'm...in the Gamemaster's armor!" Amy said.  
  
"Yes...and you probably won't see me for the time being," Anthony said, his voice seeming to come from inside her head. "We are fighting as one being right now...but you will only see yourself as yourself. Now...let's begin..."  
  
"Yes..." Amy said, and then the fused heroes turned towards the Dark Gamemaster.  
  
BOSS STAGE: DARK GAMEMASTER  
CHARACTERS: Gamemaster Amy/Gamemaster Anthony  
MUSIC: "Downfall" by Trust Co.  
  
The Dark Gamemaster and the two heroes faced off and clashed swords. Amy and Anthony felt themselves fighting in tandem and easily parrying all of the Dark Gamemaster's blows. In fact, both the fused heroes and the Dark Gamemaster appeared to be evenly matched, so neither side appeared to be gaining ground. At least, until the fused heroes managed to catch the Dark Gamemaster by surprise and disarm him. They followed it up with a Force Blast which downed the Dark Gamemaster, reducing him to what looked like a dark pile on the ground.  
  
Amy and Anthony became separate again and surveyed the situation. "Is he finished now?" Amy asked.  
  
"He should be," Anthony said, and then turned towards Amy. "Amy...I'm going to check my psyche for a while to clean up any remaining damage. You'd better wake up and check to see how the others are doing."  
  
"Alright," Amy said. "Just be careful..." She then faded from Relm as she woke up in real life.  
  
As soon as she had left, the dark pile began to stir and it then reformed into the Dark Gamemaster. "Is she gone?" he asked.  
  
"She's gone..." Anthony said. "I wish I could have told her the real reason I had to fight you again...but she wouldn't have understood. Did it work?"  
  
"It did," Dark Gamemaster said. "Whatever was left of the evil in me is gone. Are you ready?"  
  
"I am..." Anthony said. "It's strange. When I started my regimen of meditation to remove my anger...I had no idea I was removing my courage and willingness to fight as well."  
  
"Well...they became me, as you can see," Dark Gamemaster said. "And, I'm ready to rejoin you."  
  
Anthony nodded in understanding and said, "Then let's do this."  
  
The Dark Gamemaster nodded as well, and then began to look as if he was turning into smoke. He then began to enter Anthony's body, and Anthony began to wince slightly as he felt the Dark Gamemaster enter him. Finally, after a while, only Anthony could be seen, and he said something to the emptiness surrounding him...  
  
"We are now...one..." Anthony said, almost talking to no one. As soon as he regained his composure he noticed an orange quilled echidna in ancient garments staring at him.  
  
"Tikal?!?" Anthony said, surprised at her being here. "What's wrong? Why are you here?"  
  
"Hoping you would do what you did," Tikal explained, "and to warn you."  
  
"Warn me? What about?" Anthony asked.  
  
"The enemy you're facing...it isn't GUN," Tikal explained. "But what they plan to do is still very dangerous to this world."  
  
"What do they plan to do?"  
  
"I do not know..." Tikal said. "But...it involves the Emeralds...and Chaos believes it involves him as well..."  
  
"Then, I'd better awake as well," Anthony said. Just as he was about to awaken, he noticed Tikal was staring again. "Alright...what is it, Tikal? I saw you staring at me earlier just as you are now..."  
  
"I cannot tell you," Tikal said, "except for this: Do not give in to temptation, even if you can help."  
  
"The HELL?!?" Anthony said. It was then that he saw Tikal fade away. "Wait! Tikal!" As soon as Tikal disappeared, he then said, "What the heck is going on here?" 


	12. Chapter 11 - Confrontations

Chapter 11 - Confrontations  
  
After placing the Emeralds in safe keeping, Rouge brought everyone (save for Teila, Tyreke, Amy, and Anthony) to her office to speak with the local authorities. Sara was also there to speak to the group, acting as the city's representative.  
  
"We're currently keeping an eye out for any more GUN troops," Sara said. "Hopefully, now that the Emeralds are in the Freedom Fighter base for safe keeping, they won't try going for them again."  
  
"Or our Chao," Aura remarked, hugging Ryndar closely. "I still want to know what they wanted with those Chao."  
  
"As do I," Sara remarked. "I was hoping the Gamemaster would be here as well to discuss this..."  
  
"Gee...I wonder why..." Ryan remarked to himself, and winced when Julie-Su elbowed him in the ribs.  
  
"Stifle it, Bat..." Julie-Su said.  
  
"We'll help you any way we can, Sara," Sally said.  
  
"Thank you, your highness," Sara said.  
  
"You guys should head back to the hotel," Rouge said. "I'll stay here and see what more we can find out on our end."  
  
Just as Rouge had said that, an alarm went off throughout the building. "What's going on?" Red Sonic said.  
  
A soldier ran in and said, "Miss Sara...GUN ships have been seen heading towards the city. I've been ordered to take you back to the president's home for your safety."  
  
"Come on, guys," Sonic said. "Let's get those guys!"  
  
As the group exited the building, they noticed exactly where the troops were headed. "By the Goddess...they're heading for the hotel!" Mina said.  
  
"...and just our luck to be on the opposite side of the city!" Knuckles said.  
  
"Then let's move quickly," Lazer said, as a red aura began to cover him.  
  
"Oh...forgetting who I am, Lazer?" Sonic said, revving up his legs.  
  
Sonic and Lazer then sped off towards the hotel, Mina and Red Sonic following close behind with the others following as quickly as they could.  
  
STAGE 15 - Station Square  
CHARACTERS: Sonic/Lazer  
MUSIC: "Escape from the City" from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Catch up to GUN  
  
Sonic and Lazer ran as fast as they could towards the hotel, Sonic doing Sonic Spins and Lazer using his sword to scrap every Hunter and Beetle series robot that got in their way. As they got closer, they started to notice that a few Rhinos were also added to the oncoming troops.  
  
"Kinda makes me wish we still had he power of the Rainbow, Sonic," Lazer said as he sliced through a Hunter.  
  
"We don't need it, Laz," Sonic remarked as he Sonic Spinned a Beetle.  
  
As soon as they reached the hotel, they saw something that made them gasp in horror. A robot had a choke hold on Teila and Tyreke was out cold on the ground. However...this was no ordinary robot...  
  
"PACKBELL?!?" Sonic said.  
  
The robot did indeed look like Packbell, but appeared to be in some type of body armor. The two of them also noticed something...  
  
"They've got the Emeralds!!" Sonic said, noticing several GUN soldiers bring the Emeralds out from what appeared to be a large blast crater near the base of the hotel.  
  
As soon as Red Sonic and Mina arrived, the four of them were about to engage GUN when one of the soldiers, obviously a leader, said, "STOP! Take one step and your furry friend in our cyber-soldier's hand gets her windpipe crushed!"  
  
Teila looked at the four of them with a pleading look, and mouthed, "Get them!" The robot then squeezed a bit harder, causing her to wince.  
  
"ALRIGHT!" Sonic said. "You can have the Emeralds! Just let her go!"  
  
"Packbell Beta...hold her until we get out of here," the soldier said. "And throw us that Emerald she has in her possession!"  
  
The robot, now recognized as Packbell Beta, reached in the pocket of her jeans and extracted the Emerald, paying no heed to the fact that the Emerald was burning him. He then threw it towards the GUN soldiers, who immediately put it in some kind of anti-gravity carrying unit.  
  
As a group of soldiers carried the Emeralds and boarded a large craft, which later took off, the leader then said, "We have what we came for...eliminate that furry scum!"  
  
Packbell Beta looked back towards Teila and began to squeeze even harder. But soon found himself letting go when something rocketed past him, slicing off his hand with a lightsaber. He looked and saw the armored form of Amy Rose.  
  
"Nice work, Ames," Red Sonic said, as he and Sonic ran and got Teila and Tyreke out of harms way.  
  
Amy decided to deactivate her armor, and then drew upon the Descendancy Powers to cause the Armor of the Gamemaster to appear on her. She then drew the Sword of the Gamemaster she carried.  
  
"Ames, where's Anthony?" Lazer said, readying his own sword.  
  
"Still out cold," Amy said. "We had to go to Relm, the world in his mind, to fight the Dark Gamemaster again."  
  
"I'll ask about that later," Lazer said, turning his attention towards Packbell Beta, who has now reattached his hand and readied a blaster. "Let's take care of Packy..."  
  
"It's not Packy...it's a duplicate GUN made, something I overheard as I was coming out," Amy explained. "But let's take care of him anyway..."  
  
BOSS STAGE: PACKBELL BETA  
CHARACTERS: Gamemaster Amy/Lazer  
MUSIC: "Fight with Seymour" from Final Fantasy X  
  
Packbell Beta fired upon both Amy and Lazer, but Amy deflected the shots with her sword and Lazer managed to dodge the shots. Both them then managed to get in close to slash at Beta, but found their swords missing the mark as Beta jumped backwards.  
  
Beta then ran forward and attempted to knock both of them down, but both of them sidestepped the bot and slashed at him with their swords. Both swords hit their mark and two large gashes appeared on the side of the robot. Beta, however, wasn't fazed and turned back towards them and opened fire. Amy had to raise a Force Barrier to block the shots, and Lazer returned fire with a couple of firey blasts of his own, drawing upon the red Emeralds within him. Beta ended up taking the full force of the blasts, and dropped to the ground, seemingly deactivated.  
  
Sonic and Red Sonic ran back up to them as soon as they saw Beta fall. "You guys alright?" Sonic asked.  
  
"We're fine, Sonic," Amy said, deactivating the Descendancy Powers and reverting to her original armor.  
  
"I'm just glad that wasn't the real Packbell," Lazer said.  
  
"GUYS! LOOK OUT!!!" Red Sonic said, as he and Sonic tackled Amy and Lazer to the ground to get them out of harm's way as two shots from a now recovered Beta just missed the lot of them.  
  
Beta then trained his aim on the four of them. However...just as he was about to fire, he was soon beheaded by a figure that seemed to appear out of nowhere. As it happened...the four of them recognized the figure...  
  
"Anth?" Sonic said.  
  
It was Anthony...however, something was different. Anthony was in the Armor of the Gamemaster, drawing upon the Descendancy Powers...however, the Armor and his Sword both appeared to be slightly glowing with a light bluish light. Anthony sheathed his sword and then looked back towards the rest of the group.  
  
"Anthony...what happened to you..." Amy asked, surprised at the fact his armor was glowing.  
  
Anthony looked down at his Armor and said, "I guess its true power came out finally." He then looked towards the leader of the soldiers, who was cursing the failure of Beta and the fact the other soldiers left him behind. He then used a Paralysis power to hold him still, even to the point where his jaw was locked so he couldn't bite down on a cyanide capsule.  
  
After extracting the capsule, Anthony unfroze the soldier's jaw and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him high. "Alright, you...I want answers. You're obviously not GUN...and you want the Emeralds for something major. So spill...who are you and what do you want with the Emeralds?"  
  
"I'll die before I tell you anything..." the soldier said.  
  
"Guess again..." Anthony said, and his eyes began to glow. The soldier began to convulse as he felt Anthony invade his mind. Suddenly, Anthony's eyes stopped glowing and the soldier went limp. Anthony then dropped the soldier to the ground and nodded as if he realized something. "So...Tikal was right..."  
  
It was at that time when Sally, Knuckles, Rouge, and the rest of the group arrived at the hotel. Teila had recovered and was currently being comforted by Tyreke. Those who just arrived were shocked at Anthony's appearance. "Anthony...what happened to you?" Sally asked.  
  
"I'll explain later, Sal..." Anthony said, looking at the crater leading into the former Freedom Fighter base. "We have something more important to discuss. And since we have a quick route to the base now, let's use it." 


	13. Chapter 12 - Revelations

Chapter 12 - Revelations  
  
The entire group gathered in the meeting room of the base, watching as city workers began to repair the damage done. Kyle, Hogi-San, and Ryndar also joined the group...mostly because Lisa and Aura were afraid to leave them out of their sights.  
  
Anthony began to address the group, telling them what he had gleaned from the soldier. "The soldier wasn't from GUN...he was a commander of a group called the PHM. Anyone heard of them?"  
  
"I have," Rouge said, and then addressed the group, mostly for Aura's benefit. "It stands for Pure Human Mobius. They're an extremist group that believes Mobius should be populated by the human race and no one else...and believes the native anthro races should be wiped out."  
  
"That's SICK!" Aura said.  
  
"I agree!" Lisa said, placing an arm around Kyle and hugging him close as if to protect him from the PHM.  
  
"It gets worse..." Rouge continued, this time for Anthony's benefit. "They actually helped Robotnik during the coup...offering their help to capture any Mobians for robotization. In exchange, they were given a lot of technology by Robotnik..."  
  
"Which explains how they were able to make all those GUN robots," Tails said.  
  
"Yes," Anthony said. "They are planning to use the Emeralds and Chao for some kind of project...however the guy I scanned didn't give details about it. I did get one item that might help though. Apparently, they took control of the old Prison Island base and made it their base of operation. We might be able to find something there."  
  
"Looks like I'd better get some transportation ready," Ryan said.  
  
"I'd better see if I can contact any members of GUN and see if we can get some additional help," Rogue said.  
  
"Before that...I need to know something..." Sally remarked, looking straight at Anthony. "Anthony...why was your armor glowing and how come you were unconscious during the raid on the base?"  
  
Anthony sighed and said, "I was in Relm. Amy helped me fight the Dark Gamemaster again, which was still present since Crazy Hand managed to create a flesh and blood duplicate, but when Amy left, I stayed in Relm so I can do something..."  
  
"Do what?" Amy said.  
  
Anthony looked at the group and said, "I had to...absorb the Dark Gamemaster. He and I are now one."  
  
"WHAT?!?" Tails said. "Why?"  
  
"When I was meditating to try to control my anger, I was actually trying to eliminate it altogether," Anthony said. "However, I ended up just pushing it to a dark corner of my psyche, thus creating the Dark Gamemaster again. In the process, with all that happened with Alec and Lupe, I also put my courage and willingness to fight in him too...mainly because I was sick of seeing anyone else get hurt and inadvertently pushed those feelings aside as well."  
  
"Oh...Anthony..." Julie-Su said.  
  
"After Amy and I fought and defeated him, it meant the last of the evil within him was gone," Anthony said. "After Amy left, he reformed himself and allowed himself to rejoin me." He then looked towards the entire group and said, "That's why my Armor was glowing...my psyche was finally whole, so the true strength of the Descendancy Powers was revealed."  
  
"Wow..." Amy said. "Does this mean...?"  
  
"Yes..." Anthony said, anticipating what Amy was going to say. "No more self doubt...no more fear of what will happen. Tyreke told me that of all I did...and the thought of what would have happened if I didn't help Arcadia frightens me more than anything...and I now realize I can't just sit on the sidelines, otherwise more people will get hurt."  
  
"THAT sounds like the Anth I know," Sonic said. "Welcome back, Bud!"  
  
"Thanks, Sonic..." Anthony said. "Now...we should..." It was then that he sensed something over near the corner. "Hey...there's someone else here!" Anthony raised a hand towards where he sensed someone, and the whole group was surprised to see Nack being lifted by Anthony's Telekinesis.  
  
"Aw, man...what are YOU doing here, Nack?!?" Sonic asked him, glaring at him.  
  
"Well, I was TRYING to hide if those PHM creeps came back!!" Nack said. "Gamemaster...can you let me down please?"  
  
"He'll let you down...so we can put you right in a cell!" Rouge said. "Or maybe I should let Ryan deal with you!" Ryan reacted to that by cracking his knuckles gleefully.  
  
"Please...I just want to help you guys!" Nack said. "Especially now that I know PHM is involved!"  
  
"Yeah right..." Red Sonic said. "You were willing to sell us out to Buttnik for a Mobium and NOW you want to help us? What's the catch?"  
  
"Just this..." Nack said. "My sister was caught and killed by the PHM, and I want to bring them down as much as you guys do!"  
  
"Whatever..." Sonic said, not believing a word of Nack's.  
  
"Besides...a sneaky guy like me might be able to glean some info from their computers," Nack continued. "All I'd need is a distraction..."  
  
The group all looked at each other, and then they focused their attention on Amy, Anthony, and Tyreke. Amy and Tyreke both nodded. "He's telling the truth," Amy said. "He wants to help...I don't sense any deception."  
  
"Neither do I...but if he's going to help..." Tyreke said, walking straight up to Nack and staring straight at him. "I INSIST that I keep an eye on him."  
  
"Probably a good idea," Anthony remarked, releasing Nack and causing him to fall to the ground with a thump.  
  
"OOF! Thanks...I think..." Nack said, rubbing his hindquarters.  
  
"Alright, Nack...we'll trust you, for now..." Sally said.  
  
"Good..." Nack said. "Hey...guys...consider this a start for making it up to you for my past deeds."  
  
"It will take a lot more than this one act, Nack..." Rouge said, giving him a sideways glance and then turning her attention towards the group. "We'd better make plans to raid Prison Island."  
  
"Well, we'll obviously need air transport," Ryan said. "Tails and I can take care of that..."  
  
"Actually..." Tails said, getting the attention of the group. "I've been working on something that might help us take care of the ground troops...along with my Tornado 3's Cyclone mode. Let's head to the workshop."  
  
The group all nodded and started to head out. Nack, however, found himself being restrained by a paw on the shoulder.  
  
"I'm sticking to you like glue, Nack," Rouge said, tightening her grip. "Just in case you even THINK of double crossing us..."  
  
"Don't worry...I won't..." Nack said, almost sounding a bit more dark than usual. "The only thing I want is to take those PHM buttmunches down."  
  
Even without psionics, Rouge could sense the raw hatred in what Nack said. As such...she was inclined to believe him, a fact that surprised her to no end.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
As the sun was beginning to set, the entire group waited anxiously to see what Tails had made. Anthony was especially curious...considering the fact that Tails wanted to work on it since he first came to Arcadia.  
  
Ryan was busy looking over his scaled down F-15E, making it ready for flight. He was also checking the weapon systems, since he figured he was going to get into a serious firefight upon reaching Prison Island. He looked at the Sidewinders and AMRAAM's loaded on the pylons, and checked the external fuel tanks under them as well.  
  
Suddenly, the door to the hanger opened and all eyes turned towards it. They then gasped when they saw Tails, piloting the Cyclone, towing what appeared to be another version of the Tornado...except there was no cockpit, just a couple of what appeared to be human sized foot pads on the main body.  
  
"What the HECK is that thing, Tails?" Sonic asked. "Another version of the Tornado?"  
  
"Yes...one I made for Anthony," Tails said.  
  
Anthony raised his eyebrow at that. "For me?!? I'm no pilot."  
  
"You don't have to be," Tails said. "This is the Tornado GM. It was built to be controlled just like the jet sled built into your armor, Anthony, but it can be used for longer range transportation."  
  
"Nice..." Anthony said, looking over the Tornado GM. "How does it work?"  
  
"You have to activate your full armor, Anthony," Tails explained. "The synaptic relays in your armor can then attach to those footholds in the TGM and control it."  
  
Anthony looked at the TGM and said, "ARMOR, ACTIVATE!" After the full armor covered him, he attached himself to the TGM and then activated it, rocketing off into the sky. He practiced some maneuvers in the air and after a while, landed back on the runway.  
  
"VERY nice, Tails," Anthony said. "This should definitely help getting to Prison Island."  
  
"And more," Tails said, grinning a bit. "Give the voice command, 'Tornado engage!'"  
  
Anthony's eyebrows raised underneath the helmet of his armor and then he said, "Tornado, ENGAGE!"  
  
What happened next surprised him to no end. The TGM appeared to be transforming and attaching to different parts of his Mastertech armor. Parts of it began to cover the legs, arms, and upper torso of Anthony. When the transformation was complete, Anthony found himself in what looked like his own mech. His arms has what appeared to be arm mounted guns, his right arm had a single hole and his left arm had several. He also noticed that he had what appeared to be shoulder mounted missile launchers similar to what Tails had on the Cyclone, and the rockets of the TGM repositioned themselves to the bottoms of Anthony's legs.  
  
"Holy...SHIT!!!" Anthony said once the transformation completed. "I feel like I'm in an Exo-Squad style E-frame!"  
  
"In a way, you are!" Tails explained. "This is the Cyclone Mech Armor. It's got missile launchers like the Cyclone has, as well as an arm mounted rapid fire blaster on the left arm and a lightsaber mounted to the right arm. You can even use the rockets attached to your legs for extra ground speed or an aerial boost."  
  
"WAY...PAST...COOL!!!" both Sonic and Red Sonic yelled.  
  
"I agree with that..." Anthony said, activating the lightsaber attached to his right arm. "How do the missile launchers work?"  
  
"You can use the sensors in your helmet like a targeter," Tails explained.  
  
"Nice...well, TORNADO, DISENGAGE," Anthony said, causing the TGM to revert to its original form. He then deactivated his armor.  
  
Ryan was confused by Anthony's actions. "We aren't heading out immediately?"  
  
"You kidding?!?" Anthony said. "We've already been through a lot today and need to regroup and recuperate. Besides, look..."  
  
Everyone looked where Anthony was indicating. Lisa was currently holding both Kyle and Hogi-San, both of whom was asleep. Aura was also holding a sleeping Ryndar and Amy was starting to yawn as well.  
  
"Good point," Knuckles said. "Let's head back to the hotel. We can all rest in the room and leave first thing tomorrow morning."  
  
"What about me?" Nack asked.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure we can find someplace for you, Nack," Rebecca said. "I think a few of the prison cells in the Freedom Fighter base are still intact..."  
  
Nack sighed in exasperation and shook his head in disbelief. 


	14. Chapter 13 - Raid on the PHM

Chapter 13 - Raid on the PHM  
  
The next day found alarms being raised at Prison Island and several PHM soldiers were scrambling for their jets. A commander went up to one of the security people and asked, "What's the situation?"  
  
"Three bogeys, sir," the soldier replied. "One has been recognized as the Tornado Three..."  
  
"That damn foxboy..." the commander mused. "The other two?"  
  
"One of them is an Angel Island modified F-15E," he continued, "and the other appears to have someone...standing on it."  
  
"Standing on it?" the commander said, not believing what was said. "Lieutenant...what manner of craft is that?"  
  
"Not sure, sir, but..." the soldier said.  
  
"But what? Speak up!" the commander said.  
  
"Sir...the pilot of that craft appears to be the Gamemaster..." the solider concluded.  
  
The commander frown and furrowed his brow, and then ordered, "Order our men to take them down...hard. No prisoners..."  
  
"Yes, sir," the soldier said, forwarding the orders to the rest of the troops.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Tails, Ryan, and Anthony were busy flying towards Prison Island on their respective vehicles in diamond formation with Anthony in the lead, Tails on the left and Ryan on the right. There is no one in Ryan's WSO seat behind him. Tyreke was currently latched onto the Tornado GM with Anthony and Nack was in the back seat of the Tornado Three.  
  
"Well, they should have seen us by now, so be ready," Anthony said, talking in his communicator to Tails and Ryan.  
  
"Got it, Anth...in fact, here they come!" Tails said.  
  
Anthony looked towards the base and saw several vehicles being deployed, including both Hawk series robots and Blue Eagle fighter jets.  
  
"Looks like the dickheads are finally sending some of their human soldiers out to fight," Ryan remarked.  
  
"Well then, let's give them one," Tails said.  
  
"Better hang on tight, Tyreke," Anthony said, turning towards his flying companion. "Looks like it's going to be a bumpy ride."  
  
STAGE 16 - Prison Base Skies  
CHARACTERS: Tails/Bat  
MUSIC: "Danger Zone" (from Top Gun soundtrack)  
OBJECTIVE: Take care of the air attackers!  
  
The dogfight that followed turned out to be a major one for the group. The Hawks began the fight, attacking in waves, but were easily taken down by Tails's and Ryan's machine guns head-on. Anthony did an inverted barrel dive out of the way of the battle and avoid much of the battle, since his weaponry was somewhat more limited while the TGM was in plane mode.  
  
The Eagle's were the main problem. It seemed they were being flown by their best pilots, and Tails and Ryan were hard pressed to engage them.  
  
One Eagle maneuvered around and got right behind Tails.  
  
"Watch it, Tails...you got one on your tail!" Ryan remarked.  
  
"Get him, Bat!" Tails yelled.  
  
"I don't have the angle!" Ryan yelled.  
  
Tails looked behind him and noticed the Eagle fire a missile on him.  
  
"Missile inbound! Drop flare!" Ryan yelled. Tails dropped a few fares and the missile passed Tails.  
  
He then dived towards the water below and the Eagle followed. Tails then pulled up almost an inch above the water and rose skyward again, but the Eagle didn't pull up in time and crashed in the water.  
  
Ryan then found himself being tailed by two of the Eagle's.  
  
"Two on my six! Two on my six! I can't shake them!" Ryan yelled.  
  
Tails came right behind them.  
  
"I got them, Bat! I got 'em! I got 'em!" Tails said. He selected the A/A Sidewinder missile and selected one Eagle. The loud buzzing of the Sidewinder tone came through.  
  
"I got one! Fox three!" Tails yelled pulling the trigger.  
  
A Sidewinder fired and impacted the Eagle destroying it in mid-air.  
  
"Shit!" Ryan said as he broke left avoiding the flames. That also caused the Eagle to follow Ryan. That Eagle flew right passed Tails in front of him.  
  
An alarm sounded in Tails' jet.  
  
"Shit! I'm in his jetwash!" Tails screamed.  
  
Tails's Tornado started spinning in circles as it plummeted to the water. Tails struggled feircly with the stick trying to get control! Finally, Tails recovered from the spin and breathed heavily.  
  
The Eagle was still behind Ryan. It fired it's machine guns. He barrel rolled and dodge all the shots being fired on them, but at the same time seemed to be letting them get closer to him.  
  
Anthony noticed this. "What the hell is Bat DOING?!?" He then flew towards Bat in order to aid him. However the next thing he noticed was Bat doing a serious deceleration and pulling up, causing the Eagle to fly forward so now Ryan was behind it. Ryan then fired a Sidewinder which destroyed the Eagle.  
  
"Slash 3!" Ryan said happily.  
  
"Hey, Bat," Anthony said into his communicator. "Am I going to have to call you 'Maverick' now?"  
  
"Sorry, couldn't resist," Ryan said. "Looks like there's only three left. I'll take care of them, and you guys head down to the base."  
  
"Will do," Anthony said.  
  
"Roger that," Tails said on his communicator.  
  
Tails and Anthony then landed their respective vehicles on the base and dropped their two travelling companions off. "We'll take care of the soldiers and create a disturbance," Anthony said. "See what you guys can find."  
  
"Will do," Nack said. "Just leave it to me!"  
  
"You mean US, Nack!" Tyreke said, correcting Nack.  
  
"Er, right..." Nack said, and then noticed a side entrance. "Let's get moving."  
  
As Nack and Tyreke moved towards the door, Anthony looked towards Tails. "Let's do this, Tails. Tornado, ENGAGE!"  
  
The TGM converted to the Mech mode and the Tornado Three to the Cyclone mode. Tails and Anthony then made their way into the main part of the base.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryan flew head-to-head with the three remaining Eagles.  
  
"Okay, dickheads, show me what you've got," Ryan said to himself. As soon as the Eagles passed him. He then easily performed a scissors maneuver and ended up right behind an Eagle.  
  
"Got ya!" Ryan said. He then noticed his computer beeping. He looked toward his three and noticed the two Eagles coming. Ryan focused on the Eagle in front of him. It tried to slow down. "Oh no you don't!"  
  
Ryan performed a high bank and remained behind the Eagle. Also made both Eagles pass him as well.  
  
"Good bye, you're dead!" Ryan said. He fired his machine guns at its rudder causing it to spin out of control and break up in mid-air.  
  
Ryan banked right to get the other Eagles.  
  
"That's it. That's it. Come on, come on," Ryan said happily. The two Eagles passed him. "Shit! I overshot!"  
  
He quickly banked left and ended up behind the two Eagles. The two instantly broke away. Ryan remained behind one.  
  
"Fox three!" Ryan yelled as his fired a Sidewinder. The missile hit the Eagle blowing up. Ryan banked away from the flames.  
  
"Concrete!" Ryan yelled. His computer beeped again saying he was locked on! He looked being him and saw the Eagle behind him! The Eagle fired a missile.  
  
Ryan released several flares and broke away. The missile missed. All of a sudden, Ryan's computer started to shut down! Then the engines shut down. Ryan started making a flat fall toward the water.  
  
"Altitude 300. Shit, I'll drop like a rock at 130," Ryan said to himself. He turned off the main power and brought up the backup generator powers as he turned off the throttles. He then hit the throttles to full but the engines just sputtered.  
  
"Shit! Shit!"  
  
He kept on trying to hit the master power switch, but it just continued to sputter.  
  
"Low Altitude," the computer said as the 'LOW ALT' warning sign lit up.  
  
"Come on! Come on!"  
  
Finally, the engines turned on again and he pulled up and out of harms way! He looked out and noticed the last Eagle about 25 miles away, thinking Ryan was dead.  
  
"If you think I'm dead and you're not... it's the other way around!" Ryan said to himself. He aimed an AMRAAM at the Eagle.  
  
"Fox two!" Ryan yelled as he fired the AMRAAM.  
  
The AMRAAM flew toward the Eagle. By the time the pilot noticed it, the Eagle exploded.  
  
"Yahoo! Airspace is clear," Ryan said.  
  
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STAGE 17 - Prison Island Base  
CHARACTERS: Cyclone Tails/Cyclone Mech Gamemaster  
MUSIC: "All Along the Watchtower" by The Watchtower Four (from Ali soundtrack)  
OBJECTIVE: Engage the PHM!  
  
The front door to the base blew open and Tails and Anthony made their way inside. Several Hunter series made their way towards them, only to be blown away by shots from Tails and Anthony.  
  
Anthony decided to opt for a more direct approach and rushed forward towards the next group of Hunters. The rockets attached to his legs acted almost like the jet shoes Shadow had, so Anthony found himself practically gliding forward. As soon as he got to the Hunters, he activated his lightsaber and sent slashing blows against the bots, reducing them to sparking metal.  
  
"You've outdone yourself, Tails," Anthony said to Tails, once Tails rejoined him after taking out a couple of Rhino series. "This mech armor is awesome!"  
  
"Thanks," Tails said, then noticed another group of Rhinos closing in on their location. "Looks like we'd better keep fighting..."  
  
"Indeed..." Anthony said, readying his blaster arm. "And let's hope Nack finds what we need."  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
STAGE 18 - Prison Island Detention Area  
BONUS CHARACTERS: Nack/Tyreke  
MUSIC: Six Feet Under Title Theme (Photek remix)  
OBJECTIVE: Find information about the PHM's project!  
  
While the battle was going on in the upper levels, Nack and Tyreke were crawling through the high security areas, avoiding the soldiers posted there. Well, all but a few...  
  
"So much for those guys..." Tyreke said, looking over the unconscious bodies of two PHM grunts. He then turned towards Nack, who was busy trying to hack into a computer system. "Any luck?"  
  
"Not yet..." Nack said, and then noticed a couple of files that caught his attention. "The HELL?!?"  
  
"What's wrong?" Tyreke said, joining Nack.  
  
"Found a couple of things," Nack said. "First, whatever they're working on has to do with Project Shadow."  
  
"Project Shadow?!?" Tyreke said. "Damn...like we need to deal with THAT again..."  
  
"Well, we can deal with the other thing I found right away," Nack said. "There's a prisoner here...we can attempt a rescue. Maybe he or she knows something."  
  
"Well then, let's get moving," Tyreke said.  
  
Nack and Tyreke made their way out of the security room and headed towards the cell area. Nack took out a couple of guards with his pick, which he brought as a weapon, and Tyreke used his version of a Force Blast to destroy a couple of Hunter series.  
  
Eventually they reached the cell where the prisoner was. It was too dark to see him or her, but Tyreke managed to open it using a keycard he swiped from one of the felled guards.  
  
Nack ran into the cell and went up to the prisoner. "Hey..." he said, shaking the shoulder of the prisoner. "You alright?" The prisoner turned towards him, and Nack gasped when he saw who it was.  
  
Tyreke sensed the shock and ran in with him. "Nack, what's wrong?"  
  
He then showed the prisoner to Tyreke, and with several tears in his eyes he shakily said, "Tyreke...this...is my sister...Nic..."  
  
Tyreke looked at the prisoner, now recognized as Nack's sister, Nicollette. Unfortunately, she seemed to be the worse for wear...her face showed several bruises, she appeared to be thinner than what would be considered healthy, and several cuts were found all over her body.  
  
"I don't get it...I thought you said she was dead," Tyreke said.  
  
"I thought so, too...thank the Goddess..." Nack said, and then finally broke down sobbing, hugging his sister. After a short while, he released the hug and then looked desperately towards Tyreke. "Can you do anything?"  
  
"I wish I could...wait, I have an idea..." Tyreke said. He then sent a telepathic message towards Anthony. *Anth...I need your help...*  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Tails and Anthony looked over the pile of scrap that was once PHM's robotic force. "Well, so much for them..." Tails remarked.  
  
Anthony nodded and then looked around for the next wave of attackers. It was then that he sensed Tyreke's telepathic message and sent one back. *What is it, Ty?*  
  
*We found a prisoner in bad shape down here,* Tyreke said back. *I heard that you know a psionic healing technique...any way you can come down here?*  
  
*I can do better...* Anthony said back, and then sent Tyreke some information telepathically. *There...I just sent you the information on how to use the Biofeedback power. Use it.*  
  
*Thanks, Anth,* Tyreke said, and then broke off the telepathic communication.  
  
Anthony turned towards Tails and said, "Looks like this is a rescue mission as well. I hope Ryan has room in his plane for another."  
  
"He should... there was no one in his WSO seat," Tails said. It was then that the two of them heard what sounded like huge steps coming in their direction.  
  
"Looks like we've got company..." Anthony said, and the two of them readied themselves for the next attack.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Tyreke walked up to Nicollette after finishing his communication with Anthony and laid his paws on her body. "What are you doing?" Nack asked.  
  
"You'll see...Anth taught me something..." Tyreke said. He then began to concentrate and his paws glowed. Nack watched in amazement as Nicollette's wounds and bruises disappeared. After a while, Tyreke stopped concentrating and his paws stopped glowing.  
  
As soon as Tyreke stopped, Nicollette began to stir and looked towards the two of them. He eyes eventually fell on Nack. "N...Nack?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me, Sis...thank the Goddess you're alive..." Nack said. He then drew Nicollette into another hug and sobbed tears of joy and relief as he hugged his sister.  
  
Nicollette also shed her own tears of joy and said, "I thought I'd never see you again..."  
  
After a while, the two weasel siblings released the hug and Nack said, "Goddess, I'm glad you're not dead..."  
  
"I almost was..." Nicollette said. "The PHM were using me as a punching bag for nothing more than entertainment...even feeding me only enough just to keep me alive..."  
  
"Those bastards..." Tyreke said. "Nic...I know you just recovered, but we need to know. Have you heard anything about a project they were working on?"  
  
"Only...that it's on...Colony ARK," Nicollette said. "I'm sorry..."  
  
"Don't be, sis..." Nack said. "You've been through Hell..."  
  
As Nack began to help Nicollette up, eventually deciding just to carry her, Tyreke sent another telepathic message to Anthony. Unfortunately...  
  
"The heck?" Tyreke said. "Anth's busy?!?"  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Tails and Anthony looked in shock at the massive robot that was approaching them. It resembled a cross between the Packbell mod they had seen in Station Square and the Robocop 2 robot from...well, Robocop 2. It was also armed to the teeth, even more so than Anthony was in his new mech armor.  
  
"Like we NEED another Packbell!" Anthony said, activating his lightsaber arm. "Facing the real one and that carbon copy was enough!"  
  
"We'd better take this guy down then," Tails said, "otherwise we'll never get out of here!"  
  
Anthony nodded, and the two of them readied themselves to engage the robot.  
  
BOSS STAGE - PACKBELL SIGMA  
CHARACTERS: Cyclone Tails/Cyclone Mech Gamemaster  
MUSIC: "Fight with Seymour" from Final Fantasy X  
  
The battle was intense. Missile were flying both from Sigma and from Tails and Anthony's mechs. Anthony had to scramble when Sigma seemed to be focusing most of his attacks on him, but Tails managed to fire some missiles from the Cyclone which disabled one of Sigma's launchers.  
  
Sigma then began firing at the both of them using rapid fire blasters in his arms. Tails's Cyclone and Anthony's mech both took some damage, but held fast. Anthony ran forward and used his lightsaber and sliced off the gun arms. He then jumped back and used his sensors to lock onto the torso of Sigma.  
  
"TAILS! Hit his torso, HARD!" Anthony yelled.  
  
Tails took this as his cue and locked on to the torso of Sigma as well. Both he and Anthony then fired several missiles at Sigma's torso. They impacted and reduced the robot to a pile of scrap.  
  
"Good riddance to bad rubbish..." Tails said, breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
Anthony nodded in agreement, and then sensed Tyreke trying to contact him telepathically. He began concentrating, and after a while stopped concentrating. "Oh my God...this could be bad..."  
  
"What's wrong, Anthony?" Tails said.  
  
"I'll tell you once we get out of here," Anthony said. "Things just got interesting..." 


	15. Chapter 14 - Flight Plans

Chapter 14 - Flight Plans  
  
The group found themselves, once again, in Rouge's office to discuss what was found. Nicollette was currently resting on a couch in the office and was being tended to by Rebecca, Sally, and Nack. Nack and Nicollette wanted to be present, despite Nicollette's condition, to find out what was going to be done.  
  
"Colony ARK?!?" Rouge said, surprised at what Anthony, Tails, Tyreke, and Ryan had to say.  
  
"Yeah," Ryan said. "Sounds like whatever they have planned is there. Which means, if we want to stop them we have to go there."  
  
"...and we may also find the Emeralds and the Chao there as well," Knuckles commented.  
  
All present nodded in agreement. Anthony and several others, however, also turned towards Sonic, who was presently frowning at the situation. "Sonic," Anthony said, concerned for his friend, "I know how you feel about this, considering what happened to Shadow..."  
  
"I'll be alright, Anth," Sonic said, fighting back his emotions. "I need to do this...Shadow would have wanted it."  
  
"You sure? I mean...if you break down like I did..."  
  
"I won't," Sonic said. "No way am I going let my feelings get in the way of beating back those bastards."  
  
"That's good to hear...because I want you to rip them a new one for what they did to Nic!" Nack said.  
  
"Only one problem..." Julie-Su said. "HOW are we going to get to the ARK?"  
  
"I can get us there," Amy said. "I've been there before, so I can use my Teleport psi power to..."  
  
"Too risky, Ames," Anthony said. "Even if you focus on the interior of the ARK, there's still a chance you'll warp us to the outside of it. Even if I used Teleport and drew upon the Descendancy Powers, that might still happen."  
  
"So we'll need a shuttle like what Sonic, Knuckles, and I used..." Tails said.  
  
"Then consider yourself in possession of one..." the group heard a voice say. All eyes turned towards the door to the office, and found Sara walking in with...who appeared to be a GUN commander.  
  
"I'm glad you're all here," Sara said, then focusing on Anthony. "Especially you, Gamemaster..."  
  
"Lord...not this again..." Anthony thought to himself.  
  
"Sara...what is GUN doing here?" Rouge asked.  
  
The GUN commander stepped froward and said, "We heard what the PHM was doing and we want to lend our services to the cause. We have already procured a shuttle for transportation to the Colony ARK. While you take care of business on the ARK, my men are ready to defend the city. We can also supply you with any troops you need."  
  
"Awesome!" Red Sonic said.  
  
"We appreciate it, Commander..." Lazer said, prompting a request for a last name.  
  
"Commander Claude Dias Arngrim, at your service," the commander said.  
  
Anthony raised an eyebrow at that name, since all three of those names were characters he knew from video game RPGs on Earth, and two of them were badass characters at that. "Thank you, Commander Armgrim," Anthony said. "We'll let you know what troops we need once we get our plans in order."  
  
Commander Armgrim and Sara took their leave, and the group got back to discussing the situation. "Now...I suppose the next question is...who here wants in?" Rouge asked.  
  
"I suppose we can include Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Julie-Su, Mina, Red, Lazer, Ryan, and myself," Anthony said.  
  
"I also want in," Rouge said. "I've been to the ARK before, so my experience will come in handy."  
  
"I'm going to have to go too," Teila said, "since my Emerald can only be touched by me."  
  
"If she's going, then I INSIST on going," Tyreke said.  
  
"Tyreke, I'll be fine..." Teila said. "You should stay here and help the GUN troops with your powers. Besides...I owe them big time..."  
  
It was at that time that Aura and Lisa felt wriggling in their arms. They looked down and saw Hogi-San and Ryndar motioning as if they wanted to say something. "What is it, Hogi-San?" Lisa asked.  
  
Hogi-San and Ryndar then both pointed at themselves. "YOU want to go?!?" Aura said, shocked. "No...it's too dangerous, Ryndar..."  
  
It was at that point that both Chao started to do a pantomime. Both placed their paws over their eyes as if looking for something, and when they looked at each other, they pointed. "Wait...you're saying you can find the Chao?" Lisa asked, getting a nod from the two of them.  
  
"Makes sense," Anthony commented. "If they're connected to Chaos like what I witnessed on Angel Island, they might also be able to home in on each other."  
  
"Alright...but if they go, Lisa and I should come too to keep an eye on them," Aura said.  
  
"I agree," Lisa said.  
  
"Sal, you want in?" Sonic asked.  
  
"No...I'm going to stay behind and help co-ordinate the efforts to protect the city if necessary," Sally said.  
  
"I'm also going to stay behind, but to help Nack keep an eye on Nicollette," Rebecca said. "I can also watch Kyle for you, Lisa."  
  
"Thank you, Rebecca," Lisa said.  
  
"That shuttle's going to be crowded..." Tails mused.  
  
"Even more so if we bring the Tornado Three and Tornado GM," Anthony said, "which we'll probably need."  
  
"Definitely!" Knuckles said. "In fact, we'll need something else." He looked towards Tyreke and said, "Tyreke...can you Teleport me to Angel Island?"  
  
"Sure thing," Tyreke said, getting up from his chair.  
  
"We'll meet back at the hotel, Knux," Ryan said.  
  
Knuckles and Tyreke nodded and Tyreke grabbed Knuckles's wrist and the two of them disappeared. The group then began to file out of the office, Nack and Rebecca helping Nicollette. As they began to exit to building, Sara walked up to them and said to Anthony, "Gamemaster, may I speak with you for a minute?"  
  
"Of course," Anthony said, and then turned towards the others. "I'll meet you later, guys." He then shot a glance towards Ryan as he started to giggle. "Stifle it, Bat!"  
  
As the group left, Anthony turned back towards Sara and asked, "What may I help you with, Sara?"  
  
"Well...this is somewhat embarrassing..." Sara began to say. "But...I feel I must apologize."  
  
"What for?" Anthony asked.  
  
"For making you uncomfortable around me," Sara said. "I know I made it sound like I was coming on to you..."  
  
"Did you get that impression from the black echidna that just left?" Anthony asked.  
  
"Yes..." Sara said, beginning to blush in embarrassment. "I hope you can forgive me. The fact is...I actually admire your past accomplishments, Gamemaster...that admiration just came out wrong."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Sara," Anthony said. "I understand completely...and please call me Anthony. The title is a bit pretentious and makes me sound like Captain N."  
  
Sara giggled and said, "Alright then, Anthony." She then extended her hand as if to be shaken. "Good luck."  
  
Anthony shook Sara's hand and said, "Thank you."  
  
Anthony then left the building and walked towards the hotel. He noticed Ryan waiting for him, who upon seeing Anthony said, "So...when's the date?"  
  
"Won't happen, Ryan," Anthony said. "Turns out she's just a fan, not a potential date."  
  
"Bummer," Ryan said. "Would've been interesting..."  
  
Anthony nodded in agreement as the two headed back towards the hotel. As they walked, Anthony thought to himself, "Yeah...would've been interesting alright. She'd probably whack me with Amy's hammer if we were to have watched the Sonic Anime and I laughed at how she was depicted on it...."  
  
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Inside a military base outside of the main islands, a shuttle was being prepared by members of GUN. Inside that shuttle, a large group was currently seating themselves. The group included Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Julie-Su, Mina, Red Sonic, Lazer, Teila, Ryan, Aura, Lisa, and Anthony. Hogi-San and Ryndar were also sitting in the laps of Aura and Lisa, strapped in as well, and the cargo hold in the back of the shuttle held the two Tornado units.  
  
As the group readied themselves for the trip, Anthony looked towards Knuckles. Knuckles was currently holding what looked like a large Chaos Emerald, a foot in diameter, and was curious. "Knux...I have to know," Anthony said. "That's the Master Emerald, isn't it?"  
  
"It is indeed," Knuckles said. "We'll need it to track down the Chaos Emeralds."  
  
"Okay...but the last time I saw that, it was four feet tall," Anthony asked. "How the heck...?"  
  
Knuckles demonstrated how he managed to resize the Emerald by concentrating on it and causing it to shrink to the size of a golf ball. He then placed it inside his left glove. "I have control over it...one of my Guardian abilities."  
  
"Yeah, but don't you need it to keep the Island afloat?" Anthony asked.  
  
"No...the Super Emeralds inside the Island are keeping it afloat," Knuckles said. "The Master is merely a controlling force for the other Emeralds."  
  
"I see..." Anthony said.  
  
Amy looked towards Anthony and said, "Anthony, are you going to be alright?"  
  
"I will be..." Anthony said, and then looked towards Sonic. "I'm more worried about Sonic. After what happened with Shadow..."  
  
"I know what you mean," Amy said. "Do you think he'll be fine?"  
  
"I hope so..." Anthony said.  
  
Suddenly, the group heard a voice over the loudspeaker in the shuttle. "Get ready for launch. Take off is in five minutes."  
  
The group all sat back into their seats, and felt the shuttle being moved into position. They then felt the shuttle being pointed upright, which in turn pressed them further back into their seats.  
  
"Hopefully, none of you get space-sick," Rouge said.  
  
"If I do, you'll be the first to know, Rouge," Red Sonic said. "I'm sitting in front of you."  
  
"Thanks heaps, Red...I appreciate it," Rouge said, sarcasm at full.  
  
"Um...don't we need some kind of space suits?" Anthony asked, a tone of worry in his voice.  
  
"Our space vehicles are built more like those shuttlecraft you see in that show on Earth, Anthony, so they aren't necessary except for emergency evacuations," Ryan said. "I believe the show was called, 'Star Trek'."  
  
"Ah..." Anthony said. "In that case, I should've gotten myself a cheap toupee and should start...talking...like...this..." That last part got a giggle from several present.  
  
Sonic was the only one not giggling. He was too focused on what was going to happen next. He even thought to himself, "Shadow, wherever you are, watch over me, bud."  
  
Soon the countdown began, and when it reached zero, the group was pressed back into their seats as the shuttle began to accelerate. It's destination...Colony ARK. 


	16. Chapter 15 - The Attack on the ARK

Chapter 15 - The Attack on the ARK  
  
Alarms began to blare throughout the Colony Ark. PHM soldiers and Hunter series robots began to take position throughout the entire building. A commander looked at one of his subordinates and said, "Report."  
  
"A shuttle is approaching, sir," the soldier said. "It appears to be GUN."  
  
"GUN? Shit...not what we needed..." the commander said. "Are the Emeralds secure in the draw chambers?"  
  
"Yes, sir," the soldier said.  
  
"Good...ready the troops for attack," the commander said. He then looked towards the screens and said to himself, "We're almost done...soon the furries will be history..."  
  
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The GUN shuttle docked in the main hanger of the ARK, and several Hunter series troops began to surround it as it touched down. A robotic voice came from one of them saying, "YOU ARE SURROUNDED. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS OR PAWS UP."  
  
The answer came in the form of the back of the shuttle opening up...and later several missiles flying out and destroying the Hunters. A few seconds later, Tails and Anthony, both in their respective mechs, exited the shuttle.  
  
"So much for them," Anthony said as the group began to file out and Rouge began to distribute communicator earpieces to all but Anthony, Amy, and Tails (who already had their own). He then turned towards Knuckles and said, "Knux...where are the Emeralds?"  
  
He concentrated on the Master Emerald he carried and looked at a map Rouge had gotten from the city's archives. He then pointed at eight locations on the map.  
  
"Looks like several draw chambers to draw the energy of the Emeralds," Rouge commented. "Probably originally used for the Eclipse Cannon."  
  
"Now probably for that project they're working on," Sonic said. "Let's get them and put an end to their project!"  
  
"I agree..." Anthony said. "I can run interference with the Cyclone Mech while you guys find the Emeralds and the Chao." He then turned towards Amy and said, "Amy...stay here and guard the shuttle. Use the Descendancy Powers if necessary."  
  
"Will do," Amy said. "Just be careful, guys."  
  
The group all made their plans, and ran off to their respective locations.  
  
(A/N: Okay...each of the ARK stages only has a single character playing them. This'll be a LONG chapter.)  
  
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ARK STAGE 1 - Main Corridor  
CHARACTER: Cyclone Mech Gamemaster  
MUSIC: "Sandstorm (JS16 Remix)" by Darude  
OBJECTIVE: Engage the PHM!  
  
Anthony piloted his mech down the long corridor where several bots and soldiers were filing out to engage him. Anthony found himself badly outnumbered, and was hard pressed to engage the PHM troops. However, he managed find cover in several areas, despite having to move constantly to avoid being captured or destroyed.  
  
His blaster and lightsaber were working overtime, taking down both human and bot alike. He didn't want to have to destroy the human troops like this, but he had no choice. They were just as bad as the Rift Hunters were...perhaps even worse.  
  
One thing was certain...this was going to be one heck of a battle for him...  
  
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ARK STAGE 2 - Draw Zone 1  
CHARACTER: Teila  
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Secure Teila's Chaos Emerald  
  
Teila wasn't surprised at the number of sentries that were located in the corridor leading to her Emerald. After all, she expected the Emeralds to be guarded heavily. Of course, she also figured that they in turn would expect her to be able to use her powers to the maximum to face them.  
  
Her eyes were bright yellow by now, and several bots were beginning to fall to her lightning attacks. When some human troops came out to support the bots, they were immediately knocked out by hailstones that Teila managed to conjure up.  
  
She eventually reached where the Emerald was, still hovering in an anti-grav unit. She then broke through the glass chamber of the unit and extracted her Emerald.  
  
"So much for that..." Teila thought. "Now...I just need to wait..."  
  
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ARK STAGE 3 - Draw Zone 2  
CHARACTER: Bat  
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Secure the sky blue Chaos Emerald  
  
Ryan was, surprisingly, having the time of his life. The corridor leading to one of the Emeralds was filled mostly with human soldiers. This allowed him to dip into his black belt abilities.  
  
He had already used their own weapons against them, grabbing the arm of one soldier and forcing him to fire on his own men and several of the bots. He then sent a flying kick towards one group, forcing them to the ground and knocking them unconscious. Several of the PHM soldiers were even surprised that a four foot echidna could throw them around like he was doing, heaving them over his shoulder and sending them flying towards each other.  
  
As Ryan looked around at the pile of KO'd soldiers and said, mostly to himself, "Aw...no more? I've hardly broken a sweat!" He then continued to run down towards the corridor towards the main chamber, taking out a couple of stray Hunters and Beetles with blaster shots. He eventually reached the Emerald and removed it from the chamber.  
  
"Pay dirt..." Ryan said, and then noticed several other soldiers approaching. He cracked his knuckles and said, "Ah...well, at least I won't be bored while I wait for Aura and Lisa's call..."  
  
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ARK STAGE 4 - Draw Zone 3  
CHARACTER: Red Sonic  
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Secure the green Chaos Emerald  
  
Red Sonic wondered whether he was sent the bottom of the barrel in terms of bots. All he needed to do was run past them, and the Chaos energy within him was enough to reduce them to scrap from the sonic boom.  
  
The Rhino series tended to be more of a challenge, but luckily he was able to take them down as well. As for the human soldiers, just the sight of Red Sonic using Chaos energy was enough to make them scared, and several actually ran.  
  
"Cowards..." Red Sonic though as he arrived at the Emerald. After getting it out of the chamber, he had to scramble as several Hunters started firing on him. He decided to spend his time waiting by reducing the bots to spare parts.  
  
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ARK STAGE 5 - Draw Zone 4  
CHARACTER: Lazer  
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Secure the red Chaos Emerald  
  
Lazer wondered where all the bots were coming from. Every time he cut down one bot with his sword, several more appeared out of nowhere. The soldiers, however, were not as willing to join in the fight after seeing what Lazer was doing.  
  
Lazer was secretly wishing he didn't have to do this. He was wondering why the PHM existed. Why did they want to kill all the anthros? Why couldn't they just live together in peace? After all...violence begets violence, and hate begets hate.  
  
It was then that he realized what his old sensei had mentioned about multiple viewpoints....and with that realization, the final secret of the sword was revealed, and a power built up within him, boosted by the red Emeralds within him.  
  
"WANRIKKEN!!" Lazer yelled, causing a red pillar of light to engulf him. His eyes were glowing brightly, and then he sensed the presence of the bots around him.  
  
He then yelled, "This...ends...NOW!" When he yelled that, copies of him, appearing to be made of a pure reddish energy, appeared in front of all of the robot units and slashed down at them, destroying them. The human soldiers, shocked at what they had just saw, ran off.  
  
Mina, who was trying to look for Red Sonic, heard the commotion and saw what Lazer had done. After sending flying kicks which KO'd some of the retreating soldiers, she ran up to Lazer. "Lazer, are you alright?"  
  
"By the Walkers..." Lazer began to say, "I never knew...thank you sensei..." He then collapsed unconscious, and Mina caught him as his sword crashed to the ground.  
  
Mina carefully laid Lazer on the ground and, after grabbing the Chaos Emerald from the chamber for safe keeping, kept a watchful eye over Lazer while checking for other soldiers.  
  
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ARK STAGE 6 - Draw Zone 5  
CHARACTER: Rouge  
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Secure the white Chaos Emerald  
  
Soldiers were falling unconscious and several Hunters were being reduced to scrap. Both were as a result of Rouge's strong kicks, and she appeared to be attacking with a passion.  
  
Her thoughts were focused on two things. One was on getting the Emerald, the other was Shadow. She felt she was fighting for him as well as for Mobius and Arcadia.  
  
When she arrived at the Emerald, she removed it from the chamber. She then rubbed at the bracelet on her upper arm, the one that belonged to Shadow, and waited for the call from Aura and Lisa.  
  
Her thoughts were of Shadow...and what might have been...  
  
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ARK STAGE 7 - Draw Zone 6  
CHARACTER: Julie-Su  
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Secure the purple Chaos Emerald  
  
Both Hunter series and PHM soldiers were falling left and right to blasts from Julie-Su's blaster. As the amount of bodies and scraps were increasing, Julie-Su seemed to fight with more intensity, angered that a group like the PHM would be allowed to exist. Even the Dark Legion wasn't as bad as the PHM were.  
  
Knuckles, who decided to accompany Julie-Su, wondered whether he even needed to come along, seeing what Julie-Su was doing. He was also afraid...since Julie-Su seemed to be drawing on her old Dark Legion ways.  
  
Eventually, they reached the Emerald and Julie-Su grabbed it. She then turned her attention back to the corridor as if she was expecting more trouble.  
  
"Su?" Knuckles said, noticing the stern look on Julie-Su's face. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Just angry, Naki..." Julie-Su said, saying his real name. "Especially after what they did to Nicollette..."  
  
"I understand..." Knuckles said, placing a paw on Julie-Su's shoulder. "But don't let it get to you..."  
  
Julie-Su sighed, calming down a bit, and said, "You're right..."  
  
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ARK STAGE 8 - Draw Zone 7  
CHARACTER: Cyclone Tails  
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Secure the yellow Chaos Emerald  
  
Shots and missiles were flying from both sides as Tails was engaging the Hornet and Hawk series bots that were guarding the corridor to the draw zone. One by one the bots were falling to Tails's attacks, and Tails made his way further into the area.  
  
He eventually reached the Chaos Emerald and extracted it, placing it inside Cyclone for safe keeping. He then hunkered down in a defensive posture to ready himself for any attacks.  
  
As he waited for any attacks that might come or for Aura's call, he thought about how much he had changed, especially since the original ARK incident. Before then, he was just a little kid who wanted to prove he could help the Freedom Fighters. Now, and especially after he gained the powers of Magi Reynard, he proved he was just as great as Sonic.  
  
Now...he could stand alone...  
  
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ARK STAGE 9 - Draw Zone 8  
CHARACTER: Sonic  
MUSIC: "Deep Inside of..." from Sonic Adventure 2  
OBJECTIVE: Secure the blue Chaos Emerald  
  
Sonic appeared as nothing more than a blue blur as he took down robots left and right. Human soldiers were also trying to engage Sonic, but their blaster shots couldn't hit their mark and many of them got knocked out as Sonic punched them.  
  
He was pushing himself to the extreme, not only to stop the PHM, but also for Shadow. He knew Shadow would want it this way...he knew he wouldn't want the PHM to take over and become something worse than Professor Gerald was.  
  
Eventually, he reached the Emerald and took it. He then settled down to do something he hated...waiting. As he stood there, keeping watch for any new troops that appeared, he thoughts drifted to Shadow.  
  
"Shadow..." Sonic thought to himself, "if you can hear my thoughts...this is for you, buddy."  
  
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ARK STAGE 10 - Science Sector  
CHARACTER: Aura  
MUSIC: "Out of Chaos" from Valkyrie Profile  
OBJECTIVE: Find the lab where the Chao are being held  
  
Aura and Lisa, following their Chao's lead, were running through the corridors of the ARK's science sector. Both of them had to use their abilities, both Lisa's magic and Aura's innate abilities, to bring down the soldiers stationed there to protect their Chao.  
  
Eventually, they arrived outside a large room, and both Hogi-San and Ryndar were pointing frantically at the door.  
  
"In here?" Aura asked, prompting a nod from both Chao.  
  
Aura and Lisa opened the door, and gasped at what they saw. Various Chao were strapped to different tables, appearing to be attached to various tubes and looking as if they had skin samples taken from them. They were still alive, but did not look like they were in very good condition.  
  
"By the Goddess...this is awful..." Aura said, looking at the Chao.  
  
Lisa nodded in agreement and said, "We'd better call the others. Tell them we found the Chao..."  
  
Aura nodded in agreement and activated the communicator she received. "Guys...it's Aura. We found the Chao, but they're in bad shape. Anthony...we'll need your healing ability." She then explained where the lab was located.  
  
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Anthony heard the message, but unfortunately wasn't able to answer right away as he was knocked to the floor by a blast caused by tandem shots by two Rhinos. He then said back in his communicator, "I'm a bit busy right now...but I know who else can help. Amy...if you read, leave the shuttle and go help the Chao. We can worry about guarding the shuttle later."  
  
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Amy heard Anthony's message and got ready to leave the area to head to the lab. It was then that she heard something...  
  
Something very familiar...  
  
She looked towards where she heard the sound, and saw something that shocked her to no end: a large green robot. A very familiar large green robot.  
  
"ZERO?!?" Amy said. She then took up a defensive posture. "Well...I don't know why the PHM rebuilt you..." Amy said, drawing upon the Descendancy Powers to create the Armor of the Gamemaster and drawing her sword, "but I'm going to take you down like I did last time!"  
  
ARK BOSS STAGE - ZERO OMEGA  
CHARACTER: Gamemaster Amy  
MUSIC: Zero's theme from Sonic Adventure 1  
  
Zero was acting no different than when Amy last saw him. Problem was, he now appeared to be more heavily armed. Amy had to use her psi ability to boost herself to the max just to make sure she wasn't caught. She found no trouble in getting a few sword hits on the huge bot, and eventually began to wear down the oversized drone.  
  
"Better finish this quickly..." Amy thought to herself, and then built up a large amount of psi energy. She then let it loose in the form of a large blast, which downed and shorted out the robot.  
  
"Good riddance..." Amy said, powering down and getting ready to leave the area. As soon as she turned around, she heard something and turned back around quickly, noticing Zero beginning to reawaken. However, as she got herself ready to fight again, several missiles came in from the side and impacted Zero, reducing him to scrap.  
  
"What the?" Amy thought to herself, turning towards the source of the missiles. She then gasped again as she got her second surprise...in the form of an old, and very familiar looking, E series robot.  
  
The robot walked up to Amy and said, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT, MISTRESS AMY?"  
  
Amy's lower lip began to tremble as she looked upon the form of the robot she knew as E-102 Gamma. "G...Gamma? Is that you?"  
  
"IT IS," Gamma said, remaining as monotone as usual. "MY MEMORY REMAINED INTACT AFTER SO LONG, THUS I REMEMBER YOU."  
  
"But I saw you destroyed!" Amy said, still confused. "How...?"  
  
"ONLY A TEMPORARY DOWNTIME," Gamma said. "I WAS REPAIRED AND REPROGRAMMED BY THE PHM FOR USE AS A GUARD ROOBT, BUT SEEING YOU AND THE OTHERS HAVE RESTORED MY PREVIOUS FUNCTIONS."  
  
"I'm...I'm glad..." Amy began to say, and then finished by grabbing Gamma in a tight hug.  
  
"MISTRESS AMY...I AM DETECTING A STRANGE ENERGY FROM YOU," Gamma said.  
  
Amy let go of the hug and then said, "I'll explain that later. I need to get to the lab where the Chao are being kept."  
  
"ALLOW ME TO ACCOMPANY YOU THEN," Gamma said. "THERE ARE STILL MANY GUARDS BETWEEN HERE AND THE LABORATORY IN QUESTION."  
  
"I'd like that...thank you, Gamma," Amy said, and began to follow the E-Series bot out towards the lab.  
  
ARK STAGE 11 - Cargo and Science Sectors  
BONUS CHARACTER: E-102 Gamma  
MUSIC: E-102 Gamma's theme from Sonic Adventure 1  
OBJECTIVE: Get Amy to the lab  
  
Amy was pleasantly surprised at seeing Gamma in action again. She watched as Gamma downed several of the PHM bots with his weapon. It was as if Gamma had never been taken out of action to begin with.  
  
Even the soldiers that came to engage Gamma were surprised Gamma was apparently attacking his own units. They didn't bother to go out to fight him, knowing full well they may become targeted as well. However, they were noticed anyway by Amy, who used Insight Flash to take them out of action.  
  
Eventually, they reached the exterior of the Science Sector and began making their way to the lab. They eventually met up with Tails, who nearly did a triple take from seeing Gamma.  
  
"AMY?!?" Tails said, shocked at seeing Gamma. "Is that...?"  
  
"Yes, it is, Tails!" Amy said, sounding very excited. "Isn't it great? Gamma's back!"  
  
"GREETINGS, SIR TAILS," Gamma said.  
  
Tails snickered at Gamma's monotone politeness. "Just call me Tails!"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE," Gamma said.  
  
Tails shook his head and said, "Well...at least we have some reinforcements. Let's get to the lab."  
  
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While this scene was going on, Sonic made his way towards the Science Sector as well. He had to take some time to help Mina and Red Sonic getting Lazer up and about, and started rushing towards the Science Sector. However, he didn't get too far...  
  
"HALT INTRUDER!"  
  
Sonic looked towards the source of the voice and noticed what looked like a metallic version of him. It looked like one of the old Silver Sonic models, but appeared to be a bit more advanced than Silver Sonic 2.  
  
"Aw, geez..." Sonic said. "They made another version of THIS?!? I thought they hated anthros?" He then readied himself to attack the metallic doppleganger.  
  
ARK BOSS STAGE - SILVER SONIC 3  
CHARACTER: Sonic  
MUSIC: "Look Alike" from the Sonic Anime  
  
Just like the previous Silvers, this one was built for speed and to act as a large sawblade when necessary. Sonic found himself equally matched with Silver, but Silver was still finding it hard to score any hits on Sonic. Eventually, Sonic rushed forward in a Sonic Spin and sent Silver flying towards the opposite wall.  
  
Sonic then got a major surprise when, just as Silver was beginning to get back up, a blast came out of nowhere and reduced Silver to scrap. Sonic turned around towards the source of the blast, and gasped when he saw Metal Sonic there...smoke still trickling from the gun attached to his arm.  
  
[Cheap copy...] Metal Sonic said, speaking in a robotic voice. He then turned towards Sonic, who was readying himself to attack, and said, [Calm yourself hedgehog, I'm on your side, as you see...]  
  
"Yeah, right," Sonic said. "You aren't fooling me, Metal."  
  
[It's no joke, Sonic,] Metal said. [You're forgetting I was made with your life data, and still have some of your mannerisms. In fact...I want to help you bring down the PHM.]  
  
"You mean you're not working with them like that Silver Sonic was?" Sonic asked, still in a defensive position.  
  
[Hardly...] Metal Sonic said. [Granted they did rebuild me, planning to use me to turn the Overlanders on South Island against the anthros by having me commit a few crimes, but I've been working behind the scenes up here to sabotage their efforts.]  
  
"Why would you help us?" Sonic asked, still uncertain as to Metal's true intentions.  
  
[As I said, I was originally programmed with your life data,] Metal Sonic explained. [As such, I feel a loyalty to my "race", as it were.]  
  
"I see..." Sonic said. He then let down his guard and said, "Fine. But if you turn on me, I'll do to you what I did to you last time we met. Got it?"  
  
[Understood, but believe me, I have no intention on turning...] Metal Sonic said. It was then that the two of them heard a large pounding noise coming from a nearby wall. [In fact...I'll prove it now by taking care of this problem.]  
  
"What problem?" Sonic said.  
  
[My former partner wasn't as lucky as I was, since he's still loyal to the PHM,] Metal Sonic said.  
  
"You mean...?" Sonic began to say.  
  
Sonic was interrupted, however, when the wall came crashing in and knocked Sonic to the ground, pinning him under a piece of metal. Metal Sonic found himself looking face to face with his counterpart...Metal Knuckles.  
  
Metal Sonic saw that Sonic was trapped and said to him, [I'll have to take care of him first. Stay put!]  
  
"As if I have a CHOICE?!?" Sonic quipped.  
  
ARK BOSS STAGE - METAL KNUCKLES  
BONUS CHARACTER: Metal Sonic  
MUSIC: "Look Alike" from Sonic Anime  
  
The two mechas looked at each other with murderous intent. Previously, they had been allies, but now both were getting ready to scrap the other. Metal Sonic really wished he didn't have to do this, but he had no choice. It was going to be him or Metal Knux...only one was going to survive.  
  
Metal Sonic rushed forward, dodging the missile that were being launched from the launchers attached to Metal Knux's arms. He then struck hard and fast, first taking out one of the launchers, and then striking at the torso of Metal Knux's chest. Metal Knuckles retaliated by striking at Metal Sonic a couple of times with his fists, almost taking out Metal Sonic's servos just from the strength of the impact.  
  
Finally, Metal Sonic had enough. He rushed forward, building up a lot of energy, and went into his own version of a Sonic Spin, which impacted Metal Knuckles fight in the torso, leaving a large gaping hole and causing Metal Knuckles to collapse to the ground and start bleeding oil.  
  
Sonic was surprised that Metal Sonic would actually do that, and then looked in anger as Metal Sonic approached him. "So...going to finish me now?"  
  
Metal Sonic said nothing, but instead, much to Sonic's surprise, lifted the piece of metal that pinned Sonic down and offered him a metallic paw to help him up. [Are you undamaged?] he said.  
  
Sonic reluctantly accepted the paw and got up, giving himself a once over. "Ah...I'll be fine. Oh, and...thanks, Metal..."  
  
Metal Sonic said nothing, but looked back at the pile of scrap that was once Metal Knuckles. Sonic walked up to Metal and heard Metal say, [He was...my friend...]  
  
Sonic shook his head sadly and said to himself, "Poor guy...he's like me with Shadow..." He then made a decision, one which he wasn't sure whether he would regret or not. He walked over to Metal Sonic and said, "Metal...why don't you come with me to the lab? I'm sure we could use your help with whatever the PHM is planning."  
  
[Very well...] Metal Sonic said, shaking himself out of his gloom. The two hedgehogs then ran towards the Science Sector.  
  
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Anthony finally managed to get a respite from the attacks, as it seemed that the soldiers and robots were holding back their attacks. "A good thing they seem to be holding back..." Anthony thought to himself as he looked over his mech, noticing several bad dents and scratches, a couple exposing parts of the machinery inside. "Computer...diagnosis."  
  
"CYCLONE MECH POWER AT 43% WITH WEAPONS AT 21% POWER. MASTERTECH ARMOR POWER STILL AT 100%," the computer said in a monotone voice.  
  
"Great...well, hopefully I won't run into too much interference between here and the lab," Anthony said to himself as he continued towards the Science Sector. However, as soon as he entered a large room leading to the lab, he was forced to stop as he came face to face with something. Namely...something big...  
  
It was a robot. It had the same physiology as the previous Packbell models the PHM used, but it was the size and was as heavily armed as the Juggernaut Knuckles and Ryan had fought earlier.  
  
"Oh...Jesus..." Anthony said out loud. "The LAST thing I needed was to face another Packbell ripoff..." As soon as Anthony had said that, he got the biggest shock of all...  
  
...for the large bot then said, in a very familiar voice, "And it will be the last thing you will ever face, Gamemaster..."  
  
Anthony's eyes went wide under his armor as he looked up towards the head of the robot. "PACKBELL?!? What the...?"  
  
"I've been keeping my eye on you, Gamemaster, for when we were to meet again," Packbell said. "Strange...every time I see you, you seem to have more and more technology attached to you, even though you are against the cybernetic world I wish to create..."  
  
"Save it, Packy!" Anthony said, rage increased. "Why are you helping the PHM?"  
  
"I'm not...but I was somewhat flattered that they were basing a series of combat robots on me," Packbell said. "And when I heard about your fighting the PHM, I decided to commandeer this Omega model in the hopes that we might meet again..." He then readied the weapons systems and said, "...so I can finish you once and for all!"  
  
ARK BOSS BATTLE - PACKBELL OMEGA  
CHARACTER: Cyclone Mech Gamemaster  
MUSIC: "Contest of Aeons" from Final Fantasy X  
  
Anthony knew this was going to be difficult. Not only were his weapons depleted, but he knew how crafty Packbell could be as well.  
  
He had to keep moving swiftly, using the rockets on the Mech to keep one step ahead of Packbell as Packbell tried to pelt him repeatedly with blaster and missile fire. He then fired missiles from his mech to attempt to do damage to Packbell, but made very little headway. Soon his missiles were depleted...and the blaster arm was the next to be drained.  
  
"Dammit..." Anthony thought to himself when he got a weapons power reading of 0%. He soon switched back to his old tactics, activating the lightsaber arm and running in close to try to hack at the oversized bot. Unfortunately, this was met with a backhand from one of Packbell's huge arms, knocking Anthony to the floor.  
  
Anthony had little choice. He built up a large amount of psionic energy and fired a large Force Blast towards Packbell. The blast hit its mark, managing to hit a spot previously impacted by a missile and causing some of the internals to short out. As Packbell began to falter, Anthony used his rockets to get in close and slash at the bot. He hit his mark, beheading the bot and causing it to fall to the ground. Just before the bot shut down for good, Anthony swore he heard Packbell say, "We aren't through yet..."  
  
Anthony knew full well Packbell transferred his electronic consciousness again, but didn't care. He collapsed to the floor and took deep breaths. Just then, he got a message from his computer. "CYCLONE MECH POWER NEAR CRITICAL. AUTO DISENGAGE ACTIVATED." He soon found himself being detached from his mech as it reverted to the vehicle mode, and found himself laying on top of the miniature plane.  
  
"Well...so much for that..." Anthony said, connecting himself to the foot pads on top of the Tornado GM. "Computer...divert power from the Mastertech Armor to the Tornado GM for the thrusters."  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE," the computer said. Anthony then forced the TGM to move and continued on towards the lab. 


	17. Chapter 16 - Resurrection

Chapter 16 - Resurrection  
  
The group finally made their way to the lab, cleaning up any robotic troops on route. Sonic and Amy were the last to arrive, and they acted in surprise upon seeing each other's companions.  
  
"What the...? GAMMA?!?"  
  
"EEEK!! SONIC! Why are you with Metal?!?"  
  
"Don't worry, Ames..." Sonic said. "Metal's on our side. He even helped me against Metal Knuckles and another Silver Sonic model...much to my surprise!"  
  
"Yeah...Gamma helped me against a rebuilt Zero as well!" Amy said.  
  
"IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO SERVE," Gamma said.  
  
"Heh...monotone as ever," Sonic said, and then turned towards Metal Sonic. "Uh...no offense, Metal."  
  
[None taken,] Metal said. [Though, honestly, Gamma...you need to get a better voice synthesizer like I have.]  
  
Tails came out to greet Sonic and Amy as they arrived, and overheard how Metal had helped out. It was at this time that Anthony arrived, riding a somewhat beat up Tornado GM, causing Tails to react.  
  
"Anthony, what the HECK did you do to the TGM?!?" Tails asked.  
  
"Ugh...had a run in with another Packbell model they made," Anthony explained, "and to make things worse, Packbell HIMSELF decided to infest it so he could take me out!"  
  
[Hmmf...blowhard...I hope you scrapped him good,] Metal said.  
  
"Uh...right..." Anthony said, and then turned towards the rest of the group. "Okay, Sonic? Amy? Tails? Can someone explain to me why I'm having a Sonic CD flashback with Metal here?"  
  
Sonic explained the situation with Metal Sonic, and Amy did the same with Gamma. Anthony nodded in understanding, and then got an idea. "Metal...Gamma...can you two keep an eye on the shuttle? If we need to get out of here quickly, you two are probably the best to guard it."  
  
[Thanks for the vote of confidence, Gamemaster,] Metal Sonic said. [I'll do it...despite how boring that job is...]  
  
"I WILL COMPLY AS WELL," Gamma said.  
  
Metal Sonic looked at Gamma and said, [You have GOT to get some new programming, Gamma...]  
  
After the two walked off, Sonic, Amy, and Anthony walked into the lab as Tails gave the Tornado GM a once over. They were shocked at the condition of the Chao, and Amy and Anthony immediately went to work to use their powers to heal the Chao. Ryndar and Hogi-San were currently being comforted by Aura and Lisa, as the sight of what happened to the Chao frightened them. The rest were currently giving the lab a once over while Knuckles and Teila kept a watchful eye over the Chaos Emeralds.  
  
"Cripes...what are they up to in here?" Mina said, trying to make sense of the scene.  
  
Julie-Su, who was trying to hack into the computer, said, "Must be something major if they were willing to kill themselves rather than talk."  
  
"That's what worries me..." Red Sonic said, trying to search through some files. "What could be THAT major?"  
  
"Got something!!" Julie-Su said. The group crowded around the computer and watched as Julie-Su brought up a file.  
  
"Project CS?" Lazer said. "What is that?"  
  
"Not sure...I could only bring up what looks like a log..." Julie-Su said. "Let's see...the most recent entry says 'Successful in acquiring samples of the Chao. Will commence extraction of samples from Specimen S after study of Chao samples are complete."  
  
"Specimen S must be this thing," Rouge said, looking at a large glass tube filled with a bluish liquid that obscured the image of the creature within. "I wonder what's in it?"  
  
Anthony, who overheard the conversation, headed over to the tube as Amy finished up with the Chao. "Well...whatever it is, I sense it's still alive. Can't sense any thoughts though...it's like it's asleep."  
  
"Maybe there aren't any..." Tails said, walking in after hooking up the TGM to be recharged using the lab's systems. "It could just a non-sentient."  
  
"Let's see if this place has any more clues. Keep at it, Julie-Su," Ryan said.  
  
The group continued to look around the lab as Julie-Su continued to hack at the computer with Tails's help. It was then that they heard a gasp from Rouge's direction. "Rouge, what's wrong?" Sonic said.  
  
Rouge said nothing, but stepped aside to show Sonic what she found...and what she was still staring at. Sonic looked and also gasped...as he looked upon what appeared to be a pair of white gloves similar to his, a pair of shoes with what looked like jets on the bottom, and a very familiar looking bracelet.  
  
Anthony, upon getting a glance himself, said, "Isn't that...?" He then looked back at the glass tube and then towards Tails and said, "Tails, can we get whatever's in that tube out of there?!?"  
  
"I think so..." Tails said, walking over to the control panel near the tube. He then began to work at the controls, and eventually the liquid began to drain from the tube.  
  
All eyes looked at the tube, even Amy's and Julie-Su's, as the liquid drained. Soon, those eyes widened as the figure changed from an unknown form, to that of a black hedgehog with some reddish streaks in his quills. He was in some type of restraints that held him in place, and had an air mask over his muzzle.  
  
"It...can't be..." Sonic began to say, lower lip trembling. "Shadow?"  
  
After the liquid drained, the tube was raised and Anthony and Mina removed Shadow from the restraints. Anthony then placed his head over Shadow's heart area to see if he could hear a heartbeat. Upon hearing one, he attempted a Biofeedback power to try to revive him. "My abilities don't seem to be working..."  
  
It was then that Knuckles spoke up. "Perhaps energy from a Chaos Emerald is needed. It was used to revive him last time." Knuckles then grabbed the Green Server Emerald and walked over to the rest of the group.  
  
As soon as Knuckles neared the group, the Emerald began to glow brightly and fly up. It then moved near Anthony, causing him to react and step backwards. "What the...?"  
  
It was then that everyone heard it...  
  
"You are the one...and the time is now."  
  
"Was that...the Emerald?" Teila asked. It was then that the other Server Emeralds began to glow and fly up towards Anthony, with only her cyan Emerald and the Master Emerald not moving.  
  
Anthony tried to move away from the Emeralds, but soon found himself being surrounded by all seven of them. "Knux! What the hell is going on here?!?"  
  
"I don't know, Anthony..." Knuckles said. He ran over to the Master Emerald and tried to use its power. "...and the Master Emerald can't control them!"  
  
Anthony began to sweat as he watched the Emeralds begin to move closer to his body. As soon as they touched him, the glow intensified to a point where everyone present had to shield their eyes. They also winced as they heard Anthony's voice scream, apparently in pain.  
  
As soon as the light subsided, every looked towards Anthony and saw him collapsed on the ground. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were shut tight. He was also hugging his midsection tightly as if in pain.  
  
"Anthony!" Amy said, running to Anthony's side. "What happened? Are you alright?"  
  
Anthony finally began to untense and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked himself over and said, "Yeah...I think so...but..."  
  
"Anthony! Where are the Chaos Emeralds?!?" Knuckles said, worried.  
  
"Knux..." Anthony said, a bit of fear in his voice. "I think the Chaos Emeralds...are INSIDE me!"  
  
"WHAT?!?" nearly all present said.  
  
"By the Walkers...just like the five red Emeralds are inside me..." Lazer said.  
  
"Knux...can you get them out?" Anthony asked.  
  
Knuckles grabbed the Master Emerald, manipulating it so it was the size of a basketball, and concentrated on it. After a while, Knuckles sighed and said, "No can do, Anthony...they seemed to be bonded to you."  
  
"Oh, GREAT!!!" Anthony said, understandably upset. It was then that he sensed something, and looked down towards his armor. He then waved his hand in front of his armor, and to his surprise, the seven Emeralds appeared on the armor, circling the Descendancy Medallion attached to it.  
  
"Whoa..." Red Sonic said. "Anth...any chance you can use those to revive Shadow?"  
  
"I'll try..." Anthony said. He then walked over to Shadow's prone body and knelt down. He then reached towards the blue Emerald and somehow managed to detach it from his armor. It was then he sensed something else...knowledge he didn't know he had before...  
  
"CHAOS CONTROL!!!"  
  
The Emerald glowed brightly, and a blue aura also encircled Shadow's body as if the power of the Emerald was flowing through him. After a short while, the Emerald stopped glowing and the aura left Shadow. Anthony then tried to set the Emerald aside, only to have it fly back onto his armor. But that wasn't what he was focusing on...  
  
"How did I...?" Anthony said, stammering. "But that was...impossible..."  
  
"Anthony!" Knuckles said, naturally surprised. "You can use Chaos Control?!?"  
  
"Knux...that wasn't any ordinary Chaos Control!" Anthony said. "I recognized the power! I used Regen!"  
  
"Regen? But Anthony..." Amy said, "that's one of the Descendancy psionics!"  
  
"I know!" Anthony said.  
  
"Anthony...can you use any of the other Emeralds?" Ryan asked.  
  
Anthony removed the purple Emerald from his armor and yelled "CHAOS CONTROL!" He soon disappeared from view as a Fade power was activated. "Well...looks like Fade can be used as well..." Anthony said, and then allowed the power to lapse and returned to normal.  
  
"This is too weird..." Lisa said, now holding a slightly scared and trembling Hogi-San.  
  
Soon everyone heard a groan and turned towards the source of the groan. They saw Shadow beginning to stir, and Sonic immediately went to his side. Shadow soon opened his eyes and said, weakly, "Where...where am I?" He then turned towards Sonic and said, "Sonic?"  
  
Sonic couldn't control his emotions anymore and immediately grabbed Shadow in a bear hug. He was also crying tears of joy as he said, "Thank the Goddess you're alive, Shadow..."  
  
Shadow didn't realize what was going on, but placed an arm around Sonic anyway to comfort him. After a while, Sonic let go, still letting a few tears of joy fall. Shadow looked at Sonic and asked, "Sonic...what happened? Where am I?"  
  
"We're on the ARK, Shadow," Sonic said, trying to compose himself as the others began to group around the black hedgehog. Tails and Amy were next to hug the ebon hedgehog.  
  
"I take it we succeeded?" Shadow asked after Amy let go of her hug.  
  
"Yeah...thing is..." Sonic said, not sure how to explain it to Shadow, "that was more than a year ago. We just found you in that containment tube over there." He then pointed towards the apparatus.  
  
Shadow slumped further and said, "A year? I was put on ice again? I...only remember falling through the atmosphere...and then waking up here..."  
  
Anthony nodded in understanding. He knew from the game that Shadow was still in his super from when he entered the atmosphere, and that must have protected him.  
  
"Well...we're just glad you're back, buddy..." Sonic said.  
  
The others then began to greet the ebon colored hedgehog, as well as fill him in on recent events, including the reformation of Arcadia. Ryan, however, stayed out of the mess as memories of what he had done to Shadow filled his head. He wasn't sure how Shadow was going to react to seeing the echidna who challenged him to fight at every occasion, and cruelly beat him every time. Ryan felt bad about what he had done to Shadow...even wondering if he should just stay out of the way...  
  
"Hey, Ryan?" Aura said, getting Ryan's attention. "Don't you want to say something?"  
  
Upon hearing Ryan's name, Shadow looked up and saw the black quilled echidna. He then began to back away from Ryan, afraid that Ryan was going to fight him again. However, he became surprised when Ryan, instead, walked up grabbed the hedgehog in a tight bear hug as well.  
  
Shadow was surprised at this action, even more so when he swore he heard Ryan say, "Thank the goddess you're alive..."  
  
"Why?" Shadow said. "So you can fight me again?"  
  
Ryan released the hug and said, "No...not this time, and not ever. I'm sorry for what I did to you, Shadow...and I promise never to challenge you again."  
  
Shadow wasn't sure what to think of this reaction. Ryan then extended his paw and asked, "Friends?"  
  
Shadow looked down at Ryan's paw and then accepted it, saying, "Friends..."  
  
As soon as that took place, Julie-Su turned back towards the computer and said, "Well, we'd better find out what the PHM was planning with Shadow..." 


	18. Chapter 17 - Dark Discovery

Chapter 17 - Dark Discovery  
  
The next hour was spent trying to figure out the purpose of the lab. Aura and Lisa were busy helping tend to the Chao...Ryan, Lazer, and Red Sonic were busy keeping watch for any soldiers...Tails and Julie-Su were continuing to hack into the computer...Shadow was giving himself a once over to check for any physical problems, with Sonic, Amy, and Rouge standing nearby to lend aid if necessary...and Anthony was busy talking to Knuckles.  
  
"So, I'm stuck with the Chaos Emeralds?" Anthony said.  
  
"Looks like it," Knuckles said. "My guess is the Servers chose you...to be their Guardian."  
  
"Oh great..." Anthony said. "Sorry man."  
  
"Don't be, I'm still Guardian of the Island and of the Master Emerald," Knuckles said, holding up the Emerald in question. "Actually, you should be honored."  
  
"Honored? I'm frightened out of my wits!" Anthony said. "I don't need this kind of power in my possession, and I STILL haven't figured out what kind of Descendancy psionic abilities are in the white and sky blue Emeralds!"  
  
As they continued to talk, Shadow finished looking himself over and said, "Looks like I'm fine. I'm just glad they didn't get to me for whatever they were planning."  
  
"I'm with that..." Sonic said.  
  
Rouge immediately walked over to where Shadow's clothes were kept and walked back with them, handing them to Shadow. "Here...the PHM kept these for some reason."  
  
"Thank you, Rouge..." Shadow said, and immediately put his gloves, shoes, and bracelet on. Upon noticing the missing bracelet he said, "Hmm...must've been lost in the battle with the Biolizard..."  
  
"Not really..." Rouge said, removing the bracelet from her arm and placing it on Shadow's wrist.  
  
Shadow raised an eyebrow upon seeing this. "You kept it all this time?" he asked. He also noticed that Rouge was still holding his paw after putting the bracelet on his wrist.  
  
"Yes...I did..." Rouge said. Amy could sense a strong emotion welling up inside Rouge at this point.  
  
Shadow also noticed something wrong with Rouge. "What's wrong, Rouge?"  
  
As soon as he asked that, Rouge immediately did something which surprised all present. She quickly moved forward and grabbed Shadow in a tight hug...and kissed him on the mouth. This act caused Sonic and Amy, as well as several others in the room to go completely wide-eyed.  
  
Shadow eventually got Rouge to release him, and a somewhat embarrassed Rouge said. "I...I'm sorry, Shadow..." She then walked towards another corner of the room with Amy following her, as Sonic walked up to Shadow's side to check on him.  
  
Shadow was still speechless from what happened as Sonic said, "Whoa...looks like Rouge liked you more than we thought, bud..."  
  
"WE'RE IN!" Tails yelled from the computer area, causing everyone to crowd around it.  
  
"What did you find, guys?" Teila asked.  
  
"The project they were working on," Julie-Su said as she brought up the file. "Here it is...'Project Chaos Shadow'..."  
  
"'Chaos Shadow'?" Shadow asked. "I don't like the sound of that..."  
  
"Apparently they were trying to improve on Professor Gerald Kintobor's original experiment," Julie-Su continued. "They were hoping to create a being that combined the best traits of Shadow and Perfect Chaos."  
  
"Good lord..." Anthony said.  
  
"How could they do that?" Lisa said. "I mean...I can see using Shadow's DNA, but where were they going to get Chaos's?"  
  
"From the Chao!" Tails realized. "If they are connected to Chaos, like Anthony mentioned one time, they might actually have Chaos's essence in them!"  
  
"That's sounds like a reach, Tails," Knuckles said. "But considering the way Chaos reacted to them being captured, it's probably not a big reach."  
  
"But how could they make a version of this...Chaos..." Aura asked.  
  
"Probably from the old plans for the Artificial Chaos Series that GUN created," Rouge said. "We already know they managed to create copies of the other GUN bots."  
  
"Which is why we need to stop what they're doing now," Rouge said, consulting the ARK map. "Looks like the draw points they used for the Chaos Emeralds all lead to this chamber." She pointed to a large area on the map as all eyes looked at it.  
  
"Then let's get to it..." Sonic said as he turned towards where Shadow was. "Shadow are you well enough to...?" He was shocked to see Shadow nowhere in sight. "Shadow?!?"  
  
It was at that point the Red Sonic, Lazer, and Ryan came in. "Guys," Ryan said, "Shadow just ran out of here like his shoes were on fire! What's going on?"  
  
"Dammit...I think he's going to try to face Chaos Shadow alone!" Sonic said. "We have to go after them!"  
  
"Teila, Lisa, Aura and I will watch the Chao," Mina said.  
  
"I will stay behind as well," Lazer said.  
  
"Ditto," Ryan said.  
  
Knuckles then got a thoughtful look and said, "Guys...if this thing's going to be as dangerous as the Biolizard is, I'd better take a step to make sure the ARK doesn't fall down towards the planet again." He then manipulate the Master Emerald to the size of a golf ball and put it in his glove. He then turned towards Anthony and said, "Anthony, can you come with me to the propulsion control room? I need to set up the Master Emerald to keep the ARK in orbit, just in case..."  
  
"...and you need the Servers as well," Anthony said, finishing Knuckles's statement. "I understand...I actually saw this in the game as well. Let's move!"  
  
The group then dispersed as they headed towards their respective destinations.  
  
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ARK STAGE 12 - Engineering Sector  
CHARACTER: Knuckles  
MUSIC: "Feel the Beat (JS16 Dark Remix)" by Darude  
OBJECTIVE: Ready the Master Emerald  
  
Knuckles and Anthony ran as fast as they could down the engineering sector. The place was loaded with Hunter Series bots, and Anthony wished the TGM was up and running. The two of them still managed to down the bots with a series of hard punches and lightsaber blows.  
  
As they came nearer and nearer to their destination, they managed to run into what was mentioned earlier...a group of Artificial Chaos Series units...P-100 to be precise. Anthony knew from the games where to hit them, but Knuckles beat him to the punch (so to speak) and downed several of them before Anthony could tell him.  
  
Eventually, the two of them reached the main staging area where Knuckles had placed the Master Emerald during his previous trip to the ARK. He got out the Master Emerald, manipulated it so it was the size of a basketball, and placed it in a recess that was in the floor.  
  
"Now what do we do?" Anthony asked him.  
  
Knuckles sat down on the ground and said, "We wait...if we need to use it, I'll perform the incantation."  
  
"You mean that 'The Servers are the seven Chaos...' bit?" Anthony asked him.  
  
Knuckles looked up and said, "You know that?"  
  
"That was in the Sonic Adventure 2 game as well," Anthony said, keeping an eye out for other bots or other troops.  
  
Knuckles shook his head and said, "I have GOT to check out that game..."  
  
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ARK STAGE 13 - Fusion Point  
BONUS CHARACTER: Shadow  
MUSIC: "Prayer" by Disturbed  
OBJECTIVE: Get to the fusion point to stop PHM's project!  
  
Shadow was running as fast as he could...not even slowing down as he Spin Dashed through several PHM bots and dodged several shots from the human soldiers. Many of the PHM soldiers were surprised to see Shadow out of the containment tube...some were even afraid, knowing what Shadow had done previously.  
  
Shadow was focused only on one thing...stopping the PHM's plan. He still felt the specter of Maria looking over him...asking him to make everyone happy.  
  
"I will do this, Maria..." Shadow thought as he took down a couple of PHM soldiers. "I won't let you down. I'll stop them and then...perhaps now we can see each other again..."  
  
As he continued down towards his destination, he noticed the number of troops beginning to dwindle. He took this as a good sign and continued running. Eventually, he reached what looked like a large laboratory, almost empty and seeming almost like an arena of sorts.  
  
"This must be the place..." Shadow thought to himself. "Now to find the place where..."  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when a large voice boomed over a loudspeaker into the room. "Welcome, Project Shadow!"  
  
Shadow looked up towards the source of the voice and said, "The head of the PHM I take it?"  
  
"Yes...and I must say you've become as annoying as the other furs that infiltrated our base," the voice continued to say. "But no matter...you've actually made things rather easy for us. We haven't gotten a chance to extract your DNA for our little creation yet...but we can still get it by taking it from your bloody corpse."  
  
As soon as the voice said that, Shadow noticed a portion of the floor opening. Pretty soon, a figure came out of the opening. It looked like a somewhat smaller version of Perfect Chaos...but it was almost a translucent dark purple in color with yellowish eyes.  
  
"You are now obsolete, Project Shadow..." the voice said, "and soon all the rest of you freakish furs will follow! Now...you two play nice..."  
  
Shadow looked at the creature that appeared, almost shocked that they would create such a thing. As the creature roared, Shadow readied himself to attack...knowing full well this was going to be a tough fight.  
  
ARK BOSS STAGE - CHAOS SPAWN  
BONUS CHARACTER: Shadow  
MUSIC: "Supporting Me" (Biolizard's theme from Sonic Adventure 2)  
  
The Chaos Spawn not only had the looks of Perfect Chaos, but also seemed to have the power as it fired blast after blast of energy at Shadow. Shadow had to move fast to avoid being hit by the creature's attacks, a difficult task at best due to the fact the creature seemed to be almost as fast as he was.  
  
Eventually, Shadow spotted an opening and dashed towards Chaos Spawn. He spinned towards its head and scored a hit, causing the creature to reel back. The creature retaliated by throwing Shadow, causing him to hit a nearby wall hard and nearly knocking him out. This, however, did nothing more than enrage Shadow. He powered up a Spin Dash and then rocketed towards Chaos Shadow at top speed. He then leapt towards the head of the creature and impacted it hard, causing him to literally blast through to the other side of it THROUGH the head.  
  
Chaos Shadow, now with a gaping hole through its watery head, wobbled back and forth from the attack, and then collapsed on the ground. Shadow grinned as he saw the creature begin to melt into a puddle and seep into the cracks in the floor where the opening was.  
  
"That's why I'm the ultimate lifeform..." Shadow said, talking almost to himself. He then noticed Sonic and several of the others running in.  
  
"Shadow, are you alright?" Sonic said. He then noticed the last of Chaos Spawn seeing into the floor. "Ew...what was that?!?"  
  
"Their first attempt at Chaos Shadow..." Shadow said, and then turned towards the loudspeaker. "So much for your ultimate weapon, PHM!"  
  
All present could hear a growling from the other end. "You haven't won yet, furs. We can easily remake the Chaos Spawn and then..."  
  
"Sir," another voice said on the intercom. "Something is happening with the Chaos Spawn. It appears to be mutating!"  
  
"What?" the PHM commander said, not caring that the intercom was still on.  
  
"SIR! It's breaking through the containment shield!"  
  
"Stop it! Get it under control...NOW!!!"  
  
The group wondered what was going on, and Red Sonic was jokingly saying, "Heh...their big bad master plan, and they can't even control it!"  
  
It was then that Julie-Su noticed something about Shadow. It looked as if one of his reddish quills was becoming even more red. She removed her glove and touched the quill, and gasped when she noticed some of the red on her fingers. "Shadow! You were hurt!"  
  
"What?" Shadow said, touching the area Julie-Su did and noticing the blood stain on his glove when he looked at it. "Oh no..."  
  
"What's wrong?" Tails asked.  
  
"That thing I defeated needed my DNA to be complete..." Shadow said. "And if I was bleeding when I attacked it..."  
  
Suddenly the entire room began to shake, and another voice could be heard over the loudspeaker. "SIR!! It's broken through! It's outside the ARK!!!"  
  
The entire group went to a nearby window and watched as a seeming shapeless blob of translucent purple liquid began to take shape. It grew almost to the size the Biolizard was and began to take a new shape, looking almost like a hedgehog except without a muzzle. Only a couple of large yellowish eyes could be seen on its face, and it also seemed to have core of pure energy located in its torso where the heart would be.  
  
"This is bad..." Amy said.  
  
"You have a talent for understatement, Amy..." Sonic said. "I think what that is...is a completed Chaos Shadow..." 


	19. Chapter 18 - The Final Showdown

Chapter 18 - The Final Showdown  
  
The events in the fusion chamber didn't fail to catch the attention of the group in the lab. "What's happening?" Aura said.  
  
"By the Goddess, LOOK!!!" Lisa said, pointing out a window in the lab. All present watched as they saw the completed form of Chaos Shadow.  
  
"What the heck IS that thing?!?" Ryan asked.  
  
"It looks like trouble, whatever it is..." Lazer said. "I'd better go to Knuckles and Anthony. We may need the Emeralds."  
  
"I'd better go too..." Teila said, holding up her own Emerald, which was beginning to glow. "Whatever that thing is, it's causing this Emerald to react!"  
  
"Alright then...let's move," Lazer said, as he took Teila's paw and ran out of the lab.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Anthony and Knuckles also felt the ARK shake from Chaos Shadow's expulsion. "The HELL?!?" Anthony said, reacting to the event. "Okay, I know we aren't in San Francisco...where the hell did that quake come from?"  
  
"I'll check..." Knuckles said, looking into the Master Emerald and concentrating on it. He then saw an image of Chaos Shadow within the Emerald. "By the Walkers..."  
  
Anthony looked as well at the image, and was equally shocked. "Oh no...Knux, do you think that's...?"  
  
Before Anthony could finish, two groups entered the chamber with Knuckles and Anthony. One consisted of Sonic, Shadow, and the others who went to the fusion chamber...the other consisted of Lazer and Teila.  
  
"Trouble, guys," Red Sonic said. "Chaos Shadow is complete and outside of the ARK!"  
  
"I know...we just saw it," Knuckles said. Suddenly, the entire area shook again and Knuckles looked at the Emerald again. "Oh no...that thing's attacking the ARK!"  
  
"Knux, better use that incantation to keep the ARK flying..." Anthony said. "If Chaos Shadow destroys the navigation..."  
  
"Already on it..." Knuckles said, motioning Anthony to come towards the Master Emerald. He then started the incantation. "The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power - power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos."  
  
The Emeralds on Anthony's armor began to glow after the incantation was said, and the Master was next to glow. After a short while, they stopped glowing and Knuckles noticed another image in the Master Emerald...an image of what looked like a green aura enshrouding the ARK and protecting it from Chaos Shadow.  
  
"Well, that should keep it at bay for a while..." Tails said.  
  
"But it won't hold long," Knuckles said. "That thing was created with energy from the Servers and from Teila's emerald, and it will eventually break through."  
  
"Then it looks like we'll have to stop it here and now," Sonic said, and then walked up to Anthony. "Anth...any chance you can let me use the Emeralds? I need to go super!"  
  
"I was about to suggest the same thing, Sonic," Anthony said.  
  
"I'd better help as well," Shadow said, stepping next to Sonic.  
  
"Shadow, NO!" Rouge said, stepping between Shadow and Anthony. "We almost lost you last time with the Biolizard!"  
  
"Rouge, we don't have time for..." Shadow began to say.  
  
"Shadow, please!" Rouge said, now hugging Shadow and almost sobbing. "I don't want to lose you again..."  
  
Shadow understood why Rouge was acting this way, but still carefully removed her from the hug. He continued to hold her by the arms and said, "I understand, but Sonic and I are the only ones who can face that thing. You have to trust me..."  
  
Rouge, trying to fight back some tears, eventually said, "Alright...do what you have to, Shadow..."  
  
Anthony then reached towards one of the Emeralds that could be seen attached to his armor, and suddenly all of them began to glow brightly. Teila's Emerald also began to glow just as brightly. Suddenly, all seven of the Server Emeralds detached themselves from Anthony and each landed in the hands/paws of seven of the group...the blue one going to Sonic, the yellow one going to Tails, the white one going to Knuckles, the purple one going to Shadow, the red on going to Lazer, the green one going to Red Sonic, and the sky blue one landing in Anthony's hand.  
  
It was at that point that the seven of them, as well as all in that group, heard voices saying, "Brave souls...the being you face cannot be defeated by the two hedgehogs alone. You seven...plus the carrier of the cyan...must work together to defeat it..."  
  
The seven of them looked at each other, and then at Teila...all eight of them wondering what was going on. It was then that the voices continued, "We have chosen you to correct the mistake made by hateful men...those who used us to create the monster that has now turned on them. Use our power...and defeat the monstrosity. Anthony..."  
  
Anthony started as he heard the voices speak his name, and listed as they continued. "...Gamemaster of Arcadia...our vessel...activate our power..."  
  
Anthony realized it was the Server Emeralds themselves who were speaking, though he wasn't sure how. He looked down at the glowing Emerald in his hand and then towards the others who were holding the Emeralds. They nodded at him, and Sonic said, "Do it, Anth!"  
  
Anthony nodded as well, and then yelled "CHAOS CONTROL!!!"  
  
A bright glow enveloped the eight of them, almost blinding them as the power of the Emeralds began to flow into them. When the light subsided, the eight of them noticed they were outside of the ARK...and that they had changed form.  
  
Sonic and Shadow had become their super forms...becoming gold quilled and silver quilled, respectively. Knuckles had also become his super form, Hyper Knuckles, and his quills were bright gold as well. Tails also found himself as a modified version of his old Turbo Tails form, with the Robe of the Magi clinging to his now gold fur and four Flickies appearing to be made of pure energy flying near him.  
  
The other four were also in super forms Red Sonic turned into a green quilled hedgehog that glowed with a green light, and who also seemed to be having fire shoot out of the scar near his eyebrow. Lazer was now wearing a silvery armor breastplate, gauntlets, boots, and helmet that seemed to fit to him almost like a second skin and which seemed to change color to fit his moods. There were also images of the Master Emerald on the gauntlets and helm as well. Teila was surprised at her form, for her fur turned bright gold and she seemed to be wearing a white flowing robe which had her cyan Emerald attached to it on the chest portion of the robe, and her green and blue hair also glowed slightly.  
  
Anthony, however, was surprised at his form. He was in the Armor of the Gamemaster, except the cape was gone and the silver parts of the armor were now a bright golden color. He also noticed the seven Servers were once again attached to his armor as they were before, and that his Sword of the Gamemaster had a golden blade which glowed brightly. His eyes were also glowing bright green as well.  
  
All eight finally regained their composure and looked at each other, many of them amazed at Anthony's transformation. It was then that Anthony heard a voice, seeming to come from inside his head. "Good luck...our Chaos Knight..."  
  
Anthony looked at the rest of the group and nodded towards them. All eight then flew towards Chaos Shadow.  
  
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Lisa, Aura, and Ryan were staring out of the window, mouths gaped open as they saw the eight supers appear. Even Hogi-San and Ryndar were shocked at their appearance and also had their mouths gaped open. It was at that point that Mina, Julie-Su, Amy, and Rouge came back into the lab and filled them in on what was happening, Rouge carrying a still glowing Master Emerald.  
  
"Looks like they're our only hope now," Ryan said. "Let's pray they can do it."  
  
All nodded in agreement as they began to watch the events unfold. Rouge, Mina, Julie-Su, and Amy were also praying to themselves, afraid for Shadow, Red Sonic, Knuckles, and Anthony, respectively.  
  
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FINAL BOSS - CHAOS SHADOW  
SEGA HEROES: Super Sonic/Turbo Tails/Hyper Knuckles/Super Shadow  
SIFF HEROES: Omega Red Sonic/Hyper Lazer/Guardian Teila/Chaos Knight Gamemaster  
MUSIC: Metal Gear Solid 2 theme (only the high tempo part...from about 40 sec. in to about 1:50 in the song)  
  
Chaos Shadow turned almost as soon as the eight supers appeared on the scene, almost as if he sensed their presence. He then began to glow as if he were powering himself up to attack.  
  
Sonic, Red Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow were the first to strike, flying full force into Chaos Shadow and impacting him in the torso. Anthony and Lazer followed it up, using their swords to slash at the beast. Tails then sent the Flickies towards Chaos Shadow like homing missiles while Teila fired what looked like a large lightning bolt.  
  
Chaos Shadow winced slightly at the attacks, but still appeared somewhat unharmed. It then sent large blasts towards several of the group. Several of the group scattered while Anthony raised a Chaos energy powered Master Barrier to protect the rest. Although the Barrier held, Anthony was still sent flying backwards.  
  
The group continued on the offensive, striking at Chaos Shadow whenever possible while dodging its attacks. Every time they seemed to make headway, it was becoming obvious that their attacks were not quite as effective as necessary.  
  
"This is NUTS!" Sonic said. "We aren't doing jack to that thing!"  
  
"I'm open for ideas!" Teila said.  
  
Lazer then looked at Chaos Shadow, in particular, at the glowing core in it. "I have an idea...follow up after me!"  
  
"What are you...?" Tails began to ask.  
  
Lazer went full speed at Chaos Shadow with his sword pointed in front of him like a jousting lance. He began to glow brightly as he neared Chaos Shadow, and managed to impact it...going straight through its body and straight through the core, causing it to howl in pain.  
  
"Everyone, attack the core, NOW!!" Shadow said. Each of them then used their strongest attacks on the core, with Sonic firing a Sonic Wind, Shadow firing a Chaos Arrow, Knuckles firing a Chaos Lightning, Tails firing the Flickies, Teila firing a lightning bolt, Red Sonic firing a green beam of some kind, and Anthony firing his most powerful Force Blast. All seven attacks impacted the core, causing Chaos Shadow to explode into a large group of globular masses.  
  
"ALRIGHT, WE DID IT!" Lazer yelled, looking at the result while flying back to the others.  
  
As soon as everyone had regrouped, Anthony then sensed something and looked back towards the globs. He then noticed that the masses were beginning to clump back together and reform. "Oh, SHIT!! It's reforming!"  
  
The other looked at the now reforming Chaos Shadow and all of them rushed back to attack it again. All, that is, except Anthony.  
  
Realizing what he had to do, he kept back and positioned himself to a point where he could attack Chaos Shadow and not risk hitting the ARK as well. He then began to build up his power...  
  
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"ANTHONY, NO!!!"  
  
Amy's scream surprised the rest of the group in the lab. "Amy, what's wrong?"  
  
"Anthony's going to use the Final Power!" Amy said.  
  
"What's the Final Power?" Aura asked.  
  
"A powerful blast of psionics," Julie-Su explained. "It can destroy anything...but Anthony falls into a regenerative coma afterwards from the power loss."  
  
"Which means...if he uses it out there in space...he'll lose all power and the vacuum of space..." Lisa said, beginning to realize the situation.  
  
All eyes watched in horror as the battle continued. Amy was pressing her gloved paws against the window and tried to send a message to Anthony telepathically. *Anthony...please...don't do it!*  
  
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Anthony continued to build power, not sensing the message Amy was trying to send, but realizing that she must be noticing what he's doing. He could feel the power beginning to reach a critical point, and he prayed that what he was going to do will work.  
  
Finally, when he reached a saturation point, he yelled towards the others, "GUYS...GET OUT OF THE WAY!"  
  
The others ceased their attack and turned around towards Anthony, noticing he was glowing brightly from the large amount of power he built up. Sonic went wide-eyed and screamed, "NO!!! ANTHONY, DON'T DO IT!!!" He motioned for the others to scatter and flew towards Anthony as fast as he could.  
  
However, as soon as the others got out of the way, Anthony released the energy he had built into a large blast that was almost 12 feet in diameter. The blast totally engulfed Chaos Shadow.  
  
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"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Amy screamed, and then collapsed on the ground, sobbing loudly. As rouge knelt down to try and comfort the young hedgehog, the others looked at what transpired in awe.  
  
"By the Goddess...such power..." Aura said, shocked at what just occurred. Soon the group saw the blast subside, and all that was left of Chaos Shadow appeared to be nothing more than a large mass of space dust.  
  
"He did it..." Ryan said, sounding sad as he realized the sacrifice that was needed. It was then that he looked towards Anthony...and noticed something...  
  
"By the Goddess...Anthony's still super!" Ryan said, and noticed Sonic racing towards Anthony. "Hurry up, Sonic!"  
  
Amy, who calmed down after hearing Ryan, looked out of the window towards Anthony and began to pray to herself. She continued to weep softly as she also hoped Sonic would arrive in time.  
  
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Anthony was floating in space, his eyes closed and the glow in his armor beginning to fade as his powers began to leave him.  
  
"Well...looks like this is it..." Anthony thought to himself as he began to fade into unconsciousness. "Some vacation this was...but at least I made a difference and helped Arcadia again. Though being ripped apart by the vacuum of space is not the way I meant to go..." Anthony felt himself beginning to fall deeper into unconsciousness and, before finally passing out, thought to himself, "Sorry...Amy..."  
  
Just before he faded into unconsciousness, however, he swore he heard someone say "CHAOS CONTROL!" 


	20. Epilogue and Credits (and author links!)

Epilogue  
  
"Wha...what happened?"  
  
Anthony found himself waking up in a small room. It looked like a hospital room, similar to the one he was in after he first used the Final Power. As he looked around, he noticed he was hooked up to an IV unit and that his and Amy's armors were being recharged in an outlet nearby.  
  
"So...you've finally recovered..."  
  
Anthony turned towards the source of the voice and saw Shadow sitting nearby. He sat up in his bed, with some difficulty at best, and said, "I wasn't expecting you to be keeping vigil..."  
  
"It was my watch," Shadow said.  
  
"Where am I...and how long was I out?" Anthony asked.  
  
"This is an infirmary room on the ARK, and you were out for three days," Shadow explained. "During that time, Sally and GUN came up in another shuttle, rounded up the last of the PHM troops, and took control up here. We currently have the PHM in the cells."  
  
"Good..." Anthony said, lying back in his bed, giving in to his fatigue.  
  
Shadow then looked towards the ground and said, "Amy kept coming in here from time to time, wondering about your condition. She seems to care a lot about you..."  
  
"No surprise...considering the fact I would've adopted her if I didn't find her mother like I did," Anthony said.  
  
Shadow began to feel sad and said, "Maria cared for me as well...perhaps just as much. I had honestly hoped to die after Sonic and I beat the Biolizard...so I could be with her again..."  
  
"...and if you had done so, you would have failed her request," Anthony said.  
  
Shadow looked up, surprised at Anthony's statement, and said, "Wha...what do you mean?"  
  
Anthony looked towards Shadow and said, "Shadow...Maria asked you to make everyone happy. But...when you fell through the atmosphere, Sonic, Rouge, and the others weren't happy because they thought you were dead...you probably saw that in their reactions to you. Maria also wouldn't be happy...she put you in that escape pod so you could live a happy life, not so you could do a single act so you could die afterwards."  
  
"How can I live a happy life?" Shadow said. "Maria is gone...the only person who cared about me was gone..."  
  
"She's not the only one who cares about you," Anthony said. "You have great friends here...some of whom care about you as well. You can find happiness through them." Anthony smiled and then said, "Especially through one in particular..."  
  
Shadow pondered what Anthony was saying. He then stood up and said, "Do you really think so?"  
  
"I know so..." Anthony said. "Talk to them...you'll find out what I mean."  
  
Shadow nodded in understanding and began to take his leave. As he left the room, Amy walked in asking, "Shadow, how's...?"  
  
"You can ask him yourself, Amy," Shadow said, pointing towards a now awake Anthony and then leaving the room.  
  
Amy took one look at Anthony and immediately ran to him, hugging him tightly and crying. Anthony picked the young hedgehog up, laying her on his torso and hugging her back in an effort to comfort her.  
  
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"We should have the shuttles ready to go as soon as all hands are ready," Ryan said, talking to Sally. "GUN's even setting up some of Washu's specialty portals to aid in the prisoner transfer."  
  
"Good," Sally said. "Any news of Anthony's condition?"  
  
"Awake...and currently comforting a crying hedgehog," Shadow said, joining the two of them.  
  
"That's good to hear, Shadow," Sally said. "We'll wait another day then before we ship out, just to be sure he's fully recovered."  
  
"Yeah, if the food replicators hold out until then," Red Sonic said as he joined the group. "I'm surprised they haven't burned out from Sonic's and mine constant orders of chili dogs."  
  
Sally giggled as she and Red Sonic went to check on other things, and Ryan turned towards Shadow, noticing the thoughtful look on Shadow's face. "Is something wrong, Shadow?" Ryan asked.  
  
"Just...thinking..." Shadow said. "Wondering what's left for me now that Maria's gone...and about what Anthony said about finding new friends now..."  
  
"That last part is easy..." Ryan said. He then extended a paw towards Shadow again and continued, saying, "...if you're willing to trust."  
  
Shadow looked at Ryan, and then clasped Ryan's paw and shook it. "I never expected you to be like this, Ryan. Usually, you're trying to challenge me to a fight at every opportunity..."  
  
"That was before you saved the world, Shadow...and made me realize what a jerk I was being..." Ryan said. He then smirked and said, "But still...if you ever feel like a rematch, you can always look for me. Don't worry though...it will be a friendly match this time...and only when you are willing."  
  
Shadow smiled as well and said, "I'd like that."  
  
"Come on," Ryan said, motioning Shadow towards the door of the shuttle bay. "We're stationing an impromptu reunion in the recreation bay to discuss old times."  
  
"Sounds like fun," Shadow said, and followed Ryan out. His spirits almost seemed to be lifting.  
  
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In another part of the ARK, namely a training gym, Lazer and Rebecca were practicing their martial arts to pass the time. After finishing up, they sat down to cool off and began to talk.  
  
"So...I hear you finally learned that sword technique," Rebecca said, "and even gained a super form in the process."  
  
"I guess having five Chaos Emeralds in me was the key to both," Lazer said, unsheathing his sword and looking at it. "I'm glad to have finally been able to use it...and learn it secret in the process. My sensei would have been pleased..."  
  
Rebecca went up to Lazer and hugged him from behind, saying, "I'm sure he still is proud of you. You've helped bring down a great evil...perhaps even greater than Robotnik."  
  
As Lazer turned around and drew Rebecca closer to him, he said, "Right now...I'm just glad I can be with you, in a free Mobius." He then drew Rebecca in closer and the two kissed, finding comfort in each other's arms.  
  
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In the recreation bay, Ryan and Shadow noticed a scene of great camaraderie. Lisa was currently playing with Hogi-San and Kyle, the latter of whom insisted on coming up to check on Lisa. Red Sonic and Mina were currently in each other's arms, looking at the view of Mobius from space. Sonic, Knuckles, Julie-Su, Tails, and Rouge were sitting around one table, which had the Master Emerald in the center of it, and looked up just as Ryan and Shadow approached.  
  
"About time you two showed up!" Sonic said.  
  
"I have to agree...hearing Sonic's whining about having to wait was getting annoying," Knuckles said, causing Sonic to glare at him.  
  
As Shadow and Ryan sat down, the group began to talk about what has transpired. The entire time, Shadow looked at Rouge with several questions running through his head. Again, Anthony's words began to echo through his mind...and he decided to see if Anthony was right.  
  
"Rouge...can we talk for a minute...alone?" Shadow asked.  
  
Rouge nodded and stood up, taking her leave of the group, and followed Shadow over towards a area of the bay which had few people. He then motioned her towards a window, and seemed a bit nervous as he began to talk.  
  
"I've been meaning to ask you..." Shadow began to say, unsure what he was going to hear from Rouge. "Why did you hold on to my bracelet for so long?"  
  
Rouge clasped the area where she previously wore Shadow's bracelet and said, "It...was my way of honoring you, and remembering what you did."  
  
"I see...and that kiss?" Shadow asked.  
  
Rouge began to blush in embarrassment and looked down, unsure of how to answer him. Shadow looked at this reaction and began to realize what was going on. "You really care for me that much, Rouge?" Shadow asked.  
  
Rouge nodded and said, "Yes...yes, I do..." She then looked up towards Shadow and said, "I love you, Shadow. So much so that when I thought you died...I swore to make sure what happened to you wouldn't happen again. I even gave up treasure hunting and helped with security in Station Square...so justice could be served..."  
  
Shadow nodded in understanding, and then said, "I didn't think anyone cared for me as much as Maria did...and if I had allowed myself to die, I never would have known..."  
  
Shadow then placed a paw under Rouge's chin and lifted her head up so she was looking at him. As he looked deep into her eyes, he began to move closer to her...and then the two began to kiss each other.  
  
This action didn't fail to catch the attention of the others, as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Julie-Su, and Ryan smiled at the new couple. Shadow and Rouge, however, was oblivious to their presence, as thoughts began to escape their minds while they shared each other's embrace.  
  
"I've finally got the great treasure of all..."  
"Maria...thank you..."  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The scene had not changed for the last hour. Amy was still lying on top of Anthony, who in turn was hugging the pinkette. She was no longer crying, but instead was letting Anthony's embrace...the embrace of her mentor and the man she grew to love almost like a father...comfort her.  
  
Anthony looked on the face of Amy, who still showed the red rimmed eyes evident of her previous crying. He sighed upon seeing this and said, "I think I know the real reason I didn't want to fight now..."  
  
Amy, upon hearing this, looked at Anthony and said, "What do you mean?"  
  
"I think I was afraid, Amy..." Anthony said. "I was afraid of the risks I am willing to take to protect Arcadia...afraid of having to risk those who care about me most having to deal with my death." He then took a deep intake of breath and said, "Of all the innocents I didn't want to see hurt...I couldn't stand to see my friends and family hurt...like you..."  
  
Amy looked towards Anthony and said, "That's the real reason you wanted to quit?"  
  
Anthony nodded and said, "Selfish reason, I know..."  
  
"No...not at all..." Amy said, getting up from her reclined position and standing next to Anthony. "It's one of your strengths. You are willing to put others' needs before your own."  
  
"Even at risk of your sadness?" Anthony said, looking up at Amy. "After all you've been through with Robotnik...I couldn't stand to see that. You deserve to be happy..."  
  
"Not if it means I have to see you depressed..." Amy said. "I know how much you want to help others...I can sense that inside you." She then clasped one of Anthony's hands and said, "I'll even promise to be brave and not cry...if you promise not to give up..."  
  
Anthony sat up in his bed and said, "You don't need to do that, Ames. I tried to control my feelings and ended up creating the Dark Gamemaster. Besides...I don't intend to give up anymore." He then looked straight in her eyes and said, "I owe you that much, if not more..."  
  
"I'm glad..." Amy said. She then allowed herself to be drawn into another hug by Anthony.  
  
As the two of them talked, they were watched by Aura, Teila, and Tyreke. Teila and Aura were becoming misty eyed from what they were seeing, and Aura even hugged Ryndar closely while Tyreke held Teila in another embrace.  
  
"That has to be the sweetest thing I have ever seen," Teila said. She then looked towards Aura and noticed that, now, tears were streaming down her face in large amounts. "Aura? Are you alright?"  
  
Aura wiped her tears away and then said, "I'm...I'm fine. It just...Anthony kind of reminds me of my brother, Kharis. He died saving my life like Anthony almost risked his for all of us."  
  
"Oh, Aura...I'm so sorry..." Teila said.  
  
"It's alright, Teila," Aura said, composing herself. "In fact...it's allowed me to make a decision..."  
  
"What decision?" Tyreke said.  
  
Aura bowed her head and said, "I've decided I need to return home...to my own version of Mobius. Now that I have controlled my powers, I should try to give my reality the same chance this world has. Kharis would want it that way..."  
  
"Aura...you can't be serious!" Teila said.  
  
"I am..." Aura said, looking up. "I know I've made some great friends here...but that world is still my home..."  
  
"We understand, Aura..." Tyreke said. "But...you should stay for a while and take some time to prepare...and say your goodbyes..."  
  
"I intend to..." Aura said.  
  
The three of them then walked off towards the recreation bay to join the others, leaving Amy and Anthony alone.  
  
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"All aboard who's coming aboard!"  
  
All of Sonic's and Anthony's group began to file on the shuttle that Ryan prepared for the trip back down to Mobius from the ARK. Gamma and Metal Sonic were busy helping Tails, who was busy using the Cyclone to tow the Tornado GM onto the shuttle and mumbling something about a major overhaul. Rouge and Shadow were even holding paws as they began to board the shuttle, which caused many of the other couples in the group to smile.  
  
Anthony, however, was busy putting on his armor, and noticing the seven Server Chaos Emeralds still attached to it...and to him. Knuckles walked up to him as he was doing this.  
  
"Looks like I'll be stuck with these for a while..." Anthony said.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Knuckles said. "Once we get back from the South Islands region, you can come with me to Angel Island. I can teach you all you need to know about being a Guardian."  
  
"I'd appreciate that..." Anthony said, and then noticed Sonic looking out one of the windows of the shuttle bay towards the planet below. "I'll join you in a minute, Knux."  
  
Knuckles nodded and boarded the shuttle, and then Anthony walked up to Sonic. He then said to Sonic, "You were right...this vacation was what we needed. You managed to find Shadow alive and well...and I actually faced my fear as well."  
  
"Yeah...I know what you mean..." Sonic said.  
  
Anthony then smirked and said, "But NEXT time you think of a vacation? My choice."  
  
Sonic laughed at that statement and said, "You got it, Anth. This is one vacation I need a vacation from!"  
  
Anthony nodded and then said, "Come on, Sonic...lets head to the planet that's as cool and blue as you are."  
  
The two heroes boarded the shuttle and got into their seats. Soon, the shuttle blasted off towards Mobius. Some of the dock crew, however, swore they heard the following as the shuttle left the bay...  
  
"Hey, Anth...since everyone back there seems to be in a couples mood, you should find a girl as well. I think I can hook you up with..."  
  
"Don't...even...THINK about it, Bat!"  
  
THE END  
  
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CREDITS:  
  
Based on Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2.  
  
Sonic and related characters and places are (c) Sega, DIC, and Archie Comics.  
  
Red Sonic and Omega Red Sonic are (c) Red Sonic  
FF.net profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=26315  
SonicFoundation.org profile: http://fanarchives.sonicfoundation.org/fics.cgi?author=redsonic  
  
Teila Fox, Tyreke, and Guardian Teila are (c) Teila Fox  
FF.net profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=44887   
Teila's Dimension of Kawaiiness!: http://teila_chan.tripod.com/teilasplace/  
~ - Insane Kawaiiness - ~: http://teilafox.tripod.com/enter.html  
  
Lazer, Rebecca Coriander, and Hyper Lazer are (c) LazerTH  
FF.net profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=73642   
  
Lisa Echidna, Hogi-San, and Kyle are (c) Lisa Echidna  
FF.net profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=20209  
Lisa Echidna ArtWorX: http://www.members.tripod.com/zomicca  
  
Ryan "Bat" Perreault is (c) Ryan Perreault  
FF.net profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=76272  
  
Aura Starfire and Ryndar are (c) Aura Starfire  
FF.net profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=23808  
SonicFoundation.org profile: http://fanarchives.sonicfoundation.org/fics.cgi?author=aurastarfire  
Aura's Realm: http://communities.msn.com/AurasRealm  
  
Anthony Bault, Heroes of Arcadia, and Gamemaster are (c) Anthony Bault  
FF.net profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62986  
SonicFoundation.org profile: http://fanarchives.sonicfoundation.org/fics.cgi?author=bault  
  
Special thanks to Ryan Perreault for helping with the air battle scene!  
  
All rights reserved. Story is (c) Anthony Bault.  
  
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A new day dawns, bringing with it new adventures.  
  
But for now...rest well, heroes...  
  
...and have pleasant dreams, Sonic Hedgehog and Anthony Bault.  
  
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NEXT...  
  
In the aftermath of the adventure...the Companions of Arcadia find their very Descendancies tested...  
  
...and their worlds changed forever...  
  
Heroes of Arcadia - The Descendancies Chronicles  
A six story Heroes of Arcadia Miniseries  
  
Coming soon... 


End file.
